Check the Gate 2
by phoenixnext
Summary: The Takamachi-Testarossa family is coming to America to celebrate Fate's cult classic film. NanoFate is going strong but why is Einhart suddenly pushing Vivio out of her life? Will Einhart admit to what's causing her to run away? And why are there so many strange things happening around the family? Shadows of the family's past are coming to light, how will Fate deal with it all?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Series or its Characters.

**A/N: **This is still a work in progress, I know where the story is going (outlined) but I haven't had the same pull to write as I did a few months ago. Tons of storylines running in my head but none seem to want to go anywhere but still distracting me from this story. Please read and review, hopefully it will help my muse stay on track.

Chapter 1

_**You are respectfully invited to the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Celebration for Lost Logia ®.**_

_**As an original cast member TSAB Films in conjunction with Testarossa Corp would like to celebrate the accomplishments of this now cult classic film with you and its fans. Throughout the month of October we will be planning events and will provide accommodations for you and your families. Please RSVP by July 31st 20XX if you will be attending.**_

Fate stared at the invitation, it was tempting, she loved the film and her fellow actors from that long ago time. Akko Sanders would be there, she had been her co-star, and this was a chance to recapture some of the better memories of her younger life, incorporate it into her new one. Nanoha looked over her shoulder as she noticed the way Fate had stiffened, reading the invitation she smiled, "You want to go don't you?"

Looking up at her wife of fifteen years she was glad to see the acceptance and approval of such an idea clearly visible on her face. Unable to hold back her own excitement at the idea, "Yes, I want to, badly. This film changed my life, it was during this time I started to realize I could never be happy with Carim even if she ever left Robert. I saw up close for the first time what a real loving relationship was like between women. I was still hung up on her but then the next year I met you and ah you could say my eyes were opened to the fact there was someone much better suited to me."

Fate then swiveled her chair and pulled her wife into her lap, "I love you so much, I want you to meet them. Especially Akko, I haven't seen her in nearly twenty years but I'm sure she'll like you as well as her wife."

Kissing her wife gently the auburn haired woman then pulled back, "So you want me to come with you? What about the children, don't you think being dumped into the spot light at this kind of an event could overwhelm them? I can still remember the media circus that followed us around before our wedding, I don't know if we should bring them?"

The blonde thought about this, "We can leave the little ones with Mom I guess, but I think they are mature enough to handle it, they're pretty use to the media attention they get as the little sisters of Vivio and Einhart."

"Um, it's one thing to be seen as the little sisters of famous actors but they are going to be facing people who are obsessed with you, they'll be seen as the next generation of Testarossas. That might be a bit much?" Nanoha gently explained as she played with the long blonde hair of her wife.

Fate's eyes were beginning to droop with sleepiness as they always did when Nanoha played with her hair, relaxing her as only she could. Sighing, "How about we ask them what they want? Yawn…after a nap."

Fate the stood up and carried her wife to their bedroom, delighted at the warm laughter and arms surrounding her.

~"~"~"~"~"~

"A month in America? Really? We can come and hang out with all the super famous people you use to work with?" Fia was excited practically bouncing much like her older sister once did at the same age.

Sora was less impressed with the idea, "But we'll be missing school and the rest of our family for that entire time. Besides it's all going to be boring parties and interviews that we won't be able to go to."

Fate loved how practical her youngest daughter was, not quite sure where she got the trait seeing how the rest of them were way too _emotionally_ driven as the girl liked to point out. "That's not completely true, your mother and I will have quite a bit of free time and will be able to take you to see a lot of the sights in LA and the theme parks nearby."

The girl's sapphire eyes widened at this offer, "Can we go see the La Brea tar pits?"

Her older sister gave her a noggie and exclaimed, "You're such a nerd Sora-chan! We can go see Mickey Mouse and ride roller coasters, eat tons of junk food, that's where the real excitement is."

They were about to descend into one of their very loud and sometimes violent arguments, maybe signing them up for jujitsu lessons hadn't been a good idea. Nanoha grabbed Sora and Fate took on Fia and pulled them apart, Nanoha then tried to reason with both of them, "Girls how many times do we have to tell you not to fight, I have no idea where you picked up this bad habit but this is not how families settle their disputes. You're sisters, now we don't expect you always agree but we do expect you to respect each other's opinions and preferences. _If_ we take you, you have to promise no fighting, if either of you tries to instigate a fight we can always send you home, Lindy-obaa is coming with us and she will be happy to escort either of you home singly or as a pair."

Both girls were pouting, making it hard for Fate to maintain her serious face, but needs must, "You both need to understand that if you come with us there will a lot of media attention, you will both be watched closely. If you want to make yourselves and us look like all those other crazy celebrity families keep on, the American public will eat it up."

Both girls paled, they had seen the reality TV shows that followed around celebrities and their families and thought they were tacky blowhards. No way did they ever want to be compared to them. Surprisingly it was Fia who made the first move, "I promise I will never do anything to make people think badly of us, our family isn't a circus side show. We love each other and as much as fun as it is to tease Sora I'll never do anything to hurt her."

The little blonde girl smiled and threw herself on her big sister in a tight hug, "I love you too, silly Fia I won't let anyone think badly of us either."

Where a few moments before the sisters had been ready to go to battle they were now once again on good terms with each other. Neither Fate nor Nanoha had ever experienced this type of behavior with their siblings but apparently it was perfectly normal, it reminded Fate vaguely of Chrono and CJ's relationship and Vita and Hayate's growing up.

"Well I guess that settles the young ones, what about asking Ein-chan and Vi-chan to come with us?" Fate asked watching the two girls scamper off to make plans on what they wanted to do during their vacation.

"Oh it would be nice if they could, I know Vi-chan is getting depressed over how rarely she gets to see Ein-chan now. They really could use a vacation and it will help them reconnect." Nanoha agreed happily.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Vivio was wiping off stage make up from her face, looking in the mirror she scowled, she had tried to call Einhart that morning and hadn't gotten through and her sister hadn't called her back. It had been weeks since they saw each other and nearly four days since they spoke, she only knew she was okay because she had called their parents. Now the blonde young woman was afraid, had she done something to hurt her sister, why was her most important person avoiding her?

Her phone buzzed and the tone told her it was her mother, "Hello Mom."

Nanoha's voice was chipper, "Hi Sweetie, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright, I just finished filming and getting ready to go home. Um mom, have you heard from Ein-chan today?" she had to ask, unable to keep her worry out of her voice.

"I just got off the phone with her, that's why I'm calling. We want both of you to come home tonight for dinner, we have an announcement to make and an offer. I don't want to spoil the surprise so will you come?"

Vivio's heart leaped, "Ein- chan's coming?"

"Yes, and she asked me to apologize to you for not calling you back, apparently she's been very busy and hasn't had time to replace her cell phone, I actually had to hunt her down through her manager."

Relief flooded through the girl, "Oh so that's what was going on, I was worried I upset her somehow. Yeah I'll be home for dinner, in fact I'll head over there straight away, I miss you guys."

"Good, we miss you too, I wish you girls hadn't moved out so soon but I understand you both need your space."

No Vivio thought, that hadn't been why she had moved out, it had been because Einhart had left, it hurt too much to sleep alone in their room. Despite the largeness of their family home they never wanted to have their own rooms, preferring to share, sometimes even sleeping in the same bed.

Blinking back tears and keeping her voice level, "Well I'll be home soon, love you mom, bye."

"Drive safe Sweetie, I love you too, bye," her mother replied then the line clicked off.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Einhart was sitting on the floor with Sora playing a card game on the coffee table, the two girls were closest in temperament though it was clear to everyone the most popular sister had always been Vivio. Einhart never felt any jealousy over this, she herself felt the pull of the blonde more than anyone else. She lived to see her sister's smile, hear her contagious laughter. It was that pull that had grown from merely simple friendship to sisterhood and then to something very different of late which was why she had to leave home.

Her little sister saw her fidget again, something Einhart almost never did unless she was seriously stressed, prompting her to ask, "Ne Ein-nee is something wrong?"

Einhart frowned, another rarity, and then sighed, "I guess I'm excited is all. I haven't seen Fate-mama this excited in a while, it's contagious."

Her little sister gave her a look of disbelief, "Really because I think you are stressing out over something, you don't fidget when you're excited."

"Ah…well," she tried to think of another excuse for her unusual behavior but was saved by the door opening and Vivio calling out, "I'm home!"

The little blonde shot up and cannoned into her sister beating her other sister that was barreling down the stairs to greet Vivio with the same gusto. Vivio lifted both the girls in her arms to squeeze them tightly in a hug before releasing them, "Hi Shrimps, you been behaving yourselves?"

Both girls started talking and somehow Vivio was able to understand them both and reply to their rapid fire questions. Einhart had to shake her head at the sheer wonder that was her sister, pressing a hand to her chest willing her heart to calm down so she could at least pretend everything was still the same.

Vivio came into the room with a girl attached to each of her arms but when they saw Einhart stand up to greet Vivio the sisters released her. They knew better then to get between the girls, they had a special connection, and no one wanted to mess with that.

Smiling the signature Testarossa smile at her blonde sister that set the girl's heart pounding before coming over to hug her quickly and pet her face, "You look too pale Vi-chan are you sleeping okay?"

Vivio wanted to cry, she missed her sister so much it hurt. Swallowing her emotions she replied in a faux cheery voice, "We had a few days of night shooting to do and it messed up my sleep cycle, I'm still trying to get back on a regular sleep schedule again. I'm okay, how about you?"

Einhart clenched her fists, she knew Vivio was hurting and it was all her fault, but it was better this way, they were sisters, they couldn't ever be anything else. "I'm good, I'm sorry about not calling you Vi-chan, my entire purse was stolen while on a shoot. I've been so busy replacing all my cards and with work the phone was kind of the last thing on my mind."

Fia jumped in, "You were robbed? How did that happen? I thought all the shoots you did had security and stuff."

"Apparently one of the other girls brought in some guy with her she had met at a club and he ran off with a bunch of stuff while we were busy, she's in trouble with a lot of people right now. I don't really care about anything but the photos on my phone and in my wallet, those were irreplaceable. But this whole thing has been a big pain," she sighed rubbing her forehead.

Nanoha came in to the room from the kitchen smiling at the familial scene before coming over to her first daughter to hug her, "Hi Sweetie, I'm so glad you could make it tonight."

"I wouldn't miss a chance to eat with my entire family, hey where is Fate-mama?"

"She's picking up some things for me at the store, she should be back any minute."

The thrumming of a car engine was heard and Nanoha smiled, "Speak of the devil."

Vivio laughed, "I thought you were the devil in the family mama, Fate-mama is the angel."

"Oh the first time we met she was definitely a devil, she just looks all cute and innocent."

"Ugh gross mom," Fia groaned.

"She's talking about the movie they made doofus, though they can go overboard on the lovey-dovey stuff," Sora pointed out.

Their tall blonde mama came into the house at that and everyone had to smile and roll their eyes at the way the pair of love birds greeted each other. Fate couldn't have been gone more than an hour and they made it seem like it had been a year. When they finally broke off the kissy stuff Fate and Nanoha now once more joined at the hip came over so the blonde could greet their daughters.

After a round of hugs and general questions of well being the family was finally corralled into the dining room and Nanoha brought out the food. It was nice to have everyone together again, the elder pair of sisters sitting next to each other on one side of the table across from their younger siblings. Joking and laughter filled the room and Fate beamed at her children, the two younger children kept the house noisy enough but with her elder children home there was a more lively camaraderie to the group.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Coming back to the living room the children spread out onto the couches and looked at their mothers expectantly, well the elder ones did, the younger ones were watching for their sisters' reaction to Fate-mama's announcement.

"I have been invited to a month long celebration for a movie I made twenty-five years ago, it'll be in October and the cast is welcome to bring their families with them. It'll be in California and I would like all of us to go together. I've talked to your respective managers and they both agree a little down time is needed for both of you. You two are taking your careers very seriously but we miss having you, all of us want both of you to come with us."

Einhart wanted to say yes, a month with her family, with Vivio, but was too scared to speak, what if she did something stupid. It was getting too hard as it was to pretend she wasn't attracted to her sister, did she really want the whole world to know about her perversions? Vivio felt Einhart fidget, 'what the hell does she have to be stressed about? Is it me?' Knowing she was being cruel but needing to know if it really was her, "I'd like to go but only if Ein-chan agrees too. If we're going we should go as a family."

Einhart turned red, as she normally only did when she was reaching a breaking point emotionally, her entire family was suddenly worried. Seeing their concerned faces she took a deep breath, "Yes, I'd like very much to come. I'm afraid I have been out of sorts recently, it will do me some good to be with my family again."

'What the does that mean,' Vivio thought to herself, she reached out for her sister's hand, "Ein you don't have to force yourself, I was being selfish."

Their eyes met and Vivio felt that strange flip flopping feeling in her stomach that was becoming her new reaction to her sister. Breaking eye contact Ein looked down at their hands, smiled weakly, "No Vi, I need a chance to reconnect with everyone, I've been the selfish one. I ran out of the house and haven't been coming around all that much. This will be fun, maybe we can go shopping together and just hang out like we use to."

Feeling better about everything Vivio smiled at her sister, "Of course and if we have time we can go to that killer go cart track and race. I'll beat the pants off all of you."

This remark got the younger girls riled up and soon the entire family was talking of their preferred destinations while in LA.

~"~"~"~"~"~

The months leading up to the trip overseas were filled with rescheduling, planning, packing and the general chaos that came with trying to get six highly independent females organized for a month long trip. When the morning before the departure came the eldest daughter arrived with her luggage so they could all leave together in the hired cars the next day as a group and not risk anyone getting left behind. Vivio instinctively went to her old room and without thinking opened the door to find her sister was changing. All the blood in her body seemed to flood her face then settle hotly in the pit of her abdomen at the sight of her sister's naked upper torso.

Stammering, "So…sor…sorry," she then stepped back and closed the door.

She pressed a hand to her flushed cheek and began to count prime numbers, something she hadn't had to do to calm herself since she was sixteen. The image of her sister's body seemed to be burned onto her retinas and she didn't know what to do about the growing arousal she was feeling, 'Damn it she's my sister, I've seen her naked hundreds of times why the hell is this affecting me this way?!'

Nanoha coming up the stairs saw her flushed daughter and came over to her to check on her, "Vi what's the matter? You're all flushed," she said as she pressed a cool hand to her cheek.

The door behind her opened and a coolly calm Einhart came out. "I startled her, sorry Vi."

Looking panicked Vivio only nodded then croaked a, "It's alright."

Nanoha looked at her two daughters, neither shared her blood but she loved as if she had given birth to them herself. Something was off, they had never been nervous or edgy around each other and now it looked like they were tiptoeing around each other. Then Fate called to her for help and she just smiled at the young women, "Duty calls, Vi please relax in the meantime, I don't want you getting sick during our trip."

~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~

Entering the room she saw her beloved blonde trying to close an overstuffed suitcase, pushing her aside she opened it and began to refold the garments and ten minutes later the case closed easily.

Fate had sat down watching her wife and when the case closed she pouted, "I spent most of my life packing for trips but for some reason never got the knack. It's unfair that a woman who barely traveled off a single island is better at this than me."

Flicking her wife's nose, "I did just as much traveling as you did big shot I just didn't have to take planes or stay away as long as you have. Besides dad taught me how to pack properly and quickly, it's amazing the things he learned as a bodyguard."

The blonde growled at her wife before pulling her over to her hug around the middle and rubbed her face against her breasts before looking up, "I don't know what I'd do without you. Though I do wonder how much else your father taught you from his bodyguard days and what it'll cost me if I ever get out line."

"You would never get out of line, I haven't had a single reason to use my so called secret training, you are perfect in every way," she then leaned down to kiss her wife.

If the younger children hadn't come in at this moment who knows how much more packing would have been done that day, most likely none, "Ugh guys get a room!"

Nanoha pulled away and Fate turned to look at Fia smiling, "This is our room."

"Ha-ha funny mom, really auntie Hayate is right, you guys are rabbits."

Nanoha picked up a pillow and threw it at her daughter who dodged and scampered out with a cheeky grin leaving her younger sister behind.

"I swear I'm never leaving our children alone with Hayate again she is the worst influence on them."

Fate laughed, "Um but life would be so much more boring without her around," then turning to Sora, "what do you need love bug?"

"Why haven't you guys gotten over the honeymoon stage of your marriage, all our friends' parents aren't as lovey-dovey as you," the girl asked seriously, staring at them as if they were experimental lab animals.

"That's because your mother inherited the lovey-dovey gene from her parents and I fear she has infected me with it." Fate replied in a serious tone.

"Sora I know that's not what you came in here to ask, what's going on?" Nanoha said as she tugged her wife's hair in annoyance.

"Oh yeah, Um the suitcases are too heavy for us to carry, can you take them downstairs for us?"

Fate got up and catching her daughter around the middle lifted her up into a fireman's carry, "I got this Nano-love, alright love bug let's go."

Nanoha grabbed their suitcase and took it downstairs where she saw Vivio sitting on the couch still looking dazed and slightly flushed. Reminded of her earlier concerns she placed the suitcase down and came over to her daughter. Playing with her blonde hair that reminded her so much of Fate's, "Sweetie, what's the matter? Please tell me what's bothering you."

Looking up at her mother her forehead crinkled, "How do you know when you're in love?"

Nanoha's brows shot up, she thought the problem was with Einhart not love, "Well, it depends on the person but most people claim to know they're in love when that person's happiness becomes more important to you than your own. You can't stop thinking about them and what you can do to make them happy. Of course there's the physical aspect also, you start thinking about doing things with them, and will have an unconscious responses to them, fluttering in the stomach, blushing when they are near."

"How long did it take you to know you were in love with Fate-mama?" she asked in a quiet voice.

A wide smile broke across her face, "I was pretty sure by the end of the first week of knowing her. I had all the classic signs of attraction right off the bat. I couldn't get enough of being with her. She was so sad inside and I wanted to make her happy from day one."

"Can feelings change? I mean can you go from being a friend to falling in love without realizing it?"

"Yes, that's normally how things progress, my best friends growing up started out as enemies then became friends then some time after puberty they realized they liked each other more than friends."

"You mean Arisa-san and Suzuka-san? I thought they have always been together, they're like you and Fate-mama except Arisa-san is a total tsundere."

Nanoha laughed, "Oh god, don't let her hear you say that or she'll smack you, she doesn't care who she hits when she's pissed off."

"Hmm, I won't say it to her face, she's scary. But do you know how they realized they were in love?"

"Suzuka says she knew for a long time, she felt comfortable with her, she always knew what Arisa was thinking and she absolutely loved it when Arisa would blush when Suzuka teased her, it just made her all the more irresistible. Suzuka is actually the scarier one of the two, even now I think she might be able to take down your Fate-mama in most sports. I remember Fate's face when she lost the first time to this quiet polite girl, it was hilarious."

The younger blonde's eyes widened at that, "Really what sport was is?"

"Dodge ball, your auntie Hayate set up the game. Poor Fate-chan got pounded in the head by the ball and was knocked out. When she woke up she was so embarrassed, no one had ever taken her out like that, Nyahaha."

"Telling tales again I see," a soft alto voice said as Fate dropped onto the couch beside her and grabbed her wife around the waist and began to tickle her.

The pair ended up on the floor tickle fighting which brought the other children down and soon Fia was offering bets on who would give in first. Fate heard this and grabbed the miscreant, pulling Fia into the tickle fight where both mothers began to tickle her. Unable to resist this Sora tried to get in on the tickling of her older sister and was caught by Fate and tickled instead. Einhart watched this smiling, it was good to see some things never change. Vivio looked her sister smiling and felt the flutters again, 'shit, okay so I'm in love with her. What the hell do I do now?'


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Series or its Characters.

**A/N:** So as I noted in the prior chapter that this story is outlined but I was stalling out then bam! As I was falling asleep the final piece clicked. The story is going to be moving in a different direction from what I originally thought but I can still see the same ending just a different and hopefully more entertaining route there.

**P.S. ** I really wanted to get to writing about Vivio and Einhart coming together but NanoFate kept barging in so I had to let have their moments, the story will focus on my main pairing I promise but be prepared for NanoFate mushiness at random intervals.

**Warning:** Curse words will be used. No sex but some inferences to it, kinda. There is also some racism and other stupidity; I will have everyone know now I AM HISPANIC and my husband of five years is WHITE. I am not racist, but I have been subjected to racism so I think it's rather interesting to add the concept to my story. I have first generation Mexican-Americans as friends and some of them have parents who are illegal aliens, not naming names here. I don't want to start a debate about immigration or whatever else that might offend you in my story. Please this is only a story, please be civil if you want to review, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

**P.P.S.** People asked about ages and here they are: Fate 43, Nanoha 40, Einhart &amp; Vivio 22, Fia 12 and Sora 10. Remember Precia had to finish her research into same-sex procreation and Fia was her first success and Fate was her "lab rat." There will be a family tree at the end of the chapter which I hope will upload correctly which will help people understand relationships.

Chapter 2

Sept 30th, 20XX

Testarossa house was now a tourist attraction, no one lived there and the staff gave tours through the house and gardens. Bringing the children here hadn't been one of Fate's ideas but when Fate got the call from the Testarossa Historical Foundation President and Linith's Senior Assistant VP Jail S. Scaglietti requesting she give her family a tour and reminisce for a _small_ publicity documentary she found herself being sucked in when the younger children began to clamor about wanting to see the house. She led them through the house and was reminded of some of the more painful memories of her childhood. Things like the small plain white room on the second floor that had the innocuous name plaque "Practice Room." There she was in no way going to be sharing with a national audience the truth about its real use. It annoyed her when a full camera crew was awaiting her to film her tour and made it hard for her to share the true history of the house with her children.

Leaving ten hours later settling into the passenger seat she sagged into the seat and tried not to let the nagging memories consume her. "Mom are you okay?" Einhart asked her as she leaned forward to squeeze her shoulder.

"Do you remember the house Ein?" her voice was weary.

"Not a lot, I just remember you taking care of me, we didn't spend a lot of time there if you had a choice in the matter. I seem to remember the grounds pretty well but the inside…nothing."

"Hmm, I hate that house, sigh I'm glad no one lives there, it feels haunted to me."

Nanoha reached over and squeezed her hand, "I'm sorry we dragged back there, I didn't think it would affect you this badly."

Fate turned to look at her wife and smiled, "It just made me think of things best left in the past. I love my life now, but sometimes I fear all this is a dream and I'll wake up in my old room in that house."

"Nyahaha really? I would think with how much trouble we cause you sometimes you'd think it was a nightmare," Nanoha teased to try lifting Fate's gloom.

Fate's eyes sprang open and she pulled Nanoha into a tight embrace, "Ugh Damn it Nanoha you know you and the children are a dream come true for me, don't ever say something like that again."

Nanoha embraced her just as tightly and smiling warmly at her wife's head that was now burrowing into her neck and hiding in her loose hair, "Love, you know I'm only teasing you, you're my dream come true."

The younger children shook their heads, crazy love birds. Einhart smiled fondly, silently thanking whatever deity that had brought Nanoha into their lives before turning to look at her _sister._ Vivio was smiling too but still looked a bit worried for Fate. Einhart reached over automatically she took her hand, "She'll be okay, she just needs a dose of Nanoha-mama right now."

Vivio's smile brightened at the contact and she relaxed, "Yeah, anytime something goes wrong or she has a bad day and it's immediately glom onto Nanoha-mama for a little TLC and everything is right in the world again.

The elder girls burst into giggles when Fate turned her head and stuck her tongue at her daughters before snuggling back in which set everyone off laughing.

~"~"~"~"~"~

The first interview slash reunion was scheduled for October 1st and Fate arrived with her family as requested and saw a number of faces she recognized. Flashing her warmest Testarossa smile she introduced her family to cast and crew. Fate's pride in her family was obvious and a number of people were surprised at the aura of happiness that surrounded the formerly reclusive actor.

Fate was standing talking with the director and laughing about a particularity bad day on set when a dark flash came up behind her and caught her in a head lock. The two grappled for a few minutes tightly and then broke apart briefly before the dark haired woman pounced on her once again finally sweeping her feet from out from under her. Fate grabbed a hold of the woman and pulled her down with her, twisting so her attacker landed underneath her.

Cameras were flashing and people were shouting. Fate's younger children were hopping back and forth unsure of what was happening before Einhart pulled them back. Bending her head down she whispered, "It's okay, that's Akko Sanders. They're playing, I can remember seeing videos of them doing this kind of stuff. It drove my mother ah… Alicia crazy."

Sure enough it was a grinning Fate who had a remarkably beautiful black haired woman pinned. The woman was as tall and sleekly muscular as Fate and seemed to emanate an aura of seductive charm. Gleaming amber eyes took Fate in with humor, respect and…love. Fate's breath was suddenly unsteady not just from exertion but from the relief of seeing that love was still there. Both women exchanged a nod before they tapped down their feelings. Akko was not one for all the touchy feely stuff. They would never be lovers but there would always be love between them, both lost souls who it now appeared had been saved by their own personal angels.

Taking a deep breath and huffing Fate declared, "You're getting soft Akko."

The black haired woman flashed a wicked smile which made more than half the room's heart stir, "Nah, I was going easy on an old lady, what with that bum knee and having a baby I can't expect you to keep up with me anymore."

Fate rolled her eyes as she stood up with the same grace and resilience she had twenty-five years ago before reaching out a hand to help her old rival up. The black haired woman took her hand and once on her feet again pulled her old friend into a tight hug, "Lightning-bug how ya been?"

Fate laughed at this old nickname, "Fantastic, how about you Spy-dee?"

The pair then fell into their old routine of barbs and teasing which had a number of people wondering if something had happened between them and if given a bit of privacy they'd be picking up where they left off. But said audience would be forgetting something very important. A red haired woman came over to the pair, she was barely five foot with her shoes on and so petite she sometimes had to buy clothes in the kids department. Despite her childish size she had the face and figure of a classic beauty. She was often told by her entranced wife that she had a face that could launch ten thousand ships. It was this beautiful woman who now broken into the taller beauties' horseplay, "Okay, it's nice to see that some things never change but don't you think it's time to introduce your families to each other?"

Fate looked at Dr. Eden Jones-Sanders and her smile broaden, "Well-well Eddy the years have been very kind to you, still much too good for this miscreant."

Eden rolled her eyes before pulling the blonde into a hug, "I've missed you too idiot."

Pulling back she looked up into Fate's eyes and smirked, "Someone finally reached you, I was pretty sure you were a lost cause for a while but then that sudden wedding and disappearance into the wilds of Japan gave me hope."

Fate's smile widened further and her aura of happiness seemed so bright she appeared to glow, "Yes, come meet my family."

Nanoha immediately liked Eden and the two children she shared with her dark haired wife, both of a similar age as their own daughters. Once Precia's technique was perfected, though not yet formally approved in the U.S., the couple immediately contacted Precia's research lab and requested to be among the first test couples. Fate saw their names and used her pull with her mother to expedite their position in line and had even sent them a congratulations gift when they finally conceived.

After introductions the younger kids were soon playing happily in a side conference room with the older Takamachi-Testarossa siblings watching over them. Fate held Nanoha close to her on a love seat as she caught up with her old friends. Sapphire eyes took in the unconscious gradual easing of Fate's shoulders as if she was slipping into their bed. Fate loved these people, she had spoken of this couple many times over the years but time and her own emotional scars had kept her from reaching out to them. This trip was definitely a great idea.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Vivio was having fun with the four younger children and was easily becoming the _cool_ big sister to the two new girls. The ten year old twins were anything but identical, the elder, Kyra, was a fiery redhead with sparkling emerald green eyes like her mother in miniature, and a disposition towards taking charge and leaping into situations without thinking. The younger sister, Nora, was a sly black haired girl with jade green eyes that have thick limbal rings which make her eyes very striking. She was quiet by nature and liked to care for others and animals, she also made it her personal mission to keep her sister out of trouble.

Einhart sat on the floor with Fia and Kyra playing with them a RPG video game and having her butt handed to her by them. The other girls were playing Uno with Vivio and trying to catch her cheating which she was doing badly. Finally Sora frustrated by her sister's purposefully incompetent cheating tackled Vivio knocking her onto Einhart's lap. Nora laughed at the two blondes now wrestling practically in Einhart's lap.

Poking her sister in the sides, "Stupid Vi-chan, play right or at least don't make it so obvious you're cheating."

Nora laughing pulled on her new friend's arm, "Come on Sora we can play by ourselves, I like playing one on one more anyway, there's more chances for annihilating your opponent."

Vivio watched the two girls from her vantage place on Einhart's lap and laughed awkwardly to her sister, "I guess I got abandoned? That's never happened to me before."

Einhart had felt her heart rate skyrocket the moment Vivio had fallen into her lap and her squirming in her lap hadn't helped. Now the puppy dog pout she was making was going to be the death of Einhart's self control. Needing a moment to calm her rampaging heart and cool her libido that was crying out for her to _comfort_ her sister with lascivious kisses the green haired girl immediately turned off her game conceding to the younger girls, "I am out, I'm gonna get a drink, anyone else want something?"

Each pair sounded off and Einhart quickly disengaged herself from Vivio and fled the room. Einhart was scared, how the hell was she supposed to get through a month of this kind of torture? She made it to the refreshment table where a well built redheaded young man was reaching for a drink, sensing another's presence he turned and smiled upon recognizing her.

"Well if it isn't little Einhart Stratos, all grown up now, ha-ha last time I saw you were a toddler being dragged about by your aunt everywhere she went," the redheaded man laughed, ice blue eyes sparkling with appreciation.

Einhart took a step back, "I'm sorry do I know you?"

"I didn't think you would remember me, I'm Cole Mondial's son, Erio, I know I saw Fate introduce you to him earlier, he was the director of the film. He was something of a mentor to your aunt. You two would come to the house quite a bit. I use to play with you when we were kids even though I'm four years older than you. You were a very smart toddler but considering who your parents were that was to be expected."

He laughed again as she was trying to place him in her vague memories of her American childhood, brows crinkling and then she sighed shaking her head, "Sorry I'm don't really remember much from that time."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small photo album, "I brought this just in case I got the chance to see you. Not to sound creepy but I've watched your career in Japan and I was hoping we could be friends now that we're all grown up. I'm working on a project right now that I think you would be perfect for but even if you decline I think it would be great to reconnect."

He handed her the album and she cautiously opened the book, there were photos of her and Fate sitting with a much younger Cole Mondial and a redheaded boy. Going through them she saw that she had indeed been 'friends' with the boy. There was a photo of them napping together which made her want to blush but she held back the rush of heat to her face by sheer force of will.

Looking at her take in the photos the man smiled gently, "You can keep it. I made that for you and your aunt. She is a great woman, she was always very kind to me. Um here is my card, if you like we can have lunch or something and talk."

Einhart took the card and saw he was associated with an Indy film group which piqued her interest, "What are you working on? You have to understand my life is in Japan, I have no interest in resettling in the States."

"It's a CGI animated film actually, based on the legend of The Queen of the Night Sky. It's going to be called _Book of Darkness_, your cousin Caro Ru Lushe is writing the score. I met her at UCLA and started collaborating on projects. This will be our third project together but the first since leaving school. She can't carry a tune in a bucket singing but is a wonder on the piano."

This news put a new spin on the project, she liked Caro and wouldn't mind working with her. The pink haired young woman spent time in Japan visiting her 'godmother' and her quiet seriousness was sometimes a welcome change from Vivio's hyperactive nature. Especially when Einhart had begun to feel her burgeoning attraction to her blonde sister, running off with Caro to concerts had given her a welcome out as Vivio was not a fan of classical music.

Caro was also the one who pointed out something was weird about how close they were the last time she had visited them. That led Einhart to making her decision to move out and try and cool her relationship down before she did or said something inappropriate for sisters. Maybe she could show her cousin things were different and how normally she and Vivio could now interact. Giving herself a mental shake, 'ya right maybe in a hundred years I'll be able to act normal around Vi but I'm as hopeless now as I was when I was twelve. Damn hormones, I'd say damn Vivio but she's not to blame even if she could do me a favor by turning down her cuteness, fuck what was this guy saying.'

Trying to appear as if she had been paying attention and not angsting once again over her sister she offered, "If you can get my cousin to join us for lunch I would be happy to meet with you and discuss the project." Then reaching into her own jacket she fished out her own business card and gave it to him, "Leave me a message on my work cell and I'll get back to you, Fate-mama doesn't really want any of us to discuss work while we're here but once she knows Caro is involved I think she will be more understanding," she said with a warm smile.

"Do you consider her your mother then, more than say your aunt?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, she is more my mother than Alicia Testarossa ever was. I normally just call her mom but when she and Nanoha married it got rather confusing so we kids call them by their first names and add the suffix mama to the end."

"So you like your, um step-mother?" he asked trying to under the family dynamic. Caro was very reticent about her family and told him he had to get his answers from her cousins if he really wanted to know. 'How did the Japanese family see Caro anyway?' he thought and made note to ask once they knew each other a bit better.

"I love Nanoha-mama, she makes Fate-mama happy and has always treated me like I was her own child. She had plenty of reasons to dislike me or lash out at me due to my biological mother coming between her and Fate-mama when they first met and keeping them apart but she doesn't see any of us kids differently. She gave birth to Sora, adopted Vivio and is biologically linked to Fia but we are all her children and has always treated us the same. Us kids though we have our favorite, Vivio, she's the one who brings us all together as a family. She was the one who initially wrapped Fate-mama around her little finger and gave Nanoha-mama a chance to reach her. She was my best friend growing up. The younger kids love me but they worship her, it's funny how she doesn't share a drop of blood with us but she is the one we all turn to when we have a problem."

Einhart blushed now, she was supposed to be talking about her mothers not her thrice damned crush slash sister. Erio took in the blush and wondered at it but pushed aside his natural nosiness, "It sounds like you are all very close, I wish I had siblings but dad and mom stopped with me."

Einhart's phone rang and she jumped, "Oh excuse me."

Turning and stepping away from the table she flicked the screen to answer, "Um Hi Vi, what's wrong?"

Erio could see her blush deepen and wondered what could have caused it. Then she stammered, "So…sor…sorry I was talking with an old acquaintance, I'll be back in a moment."

Flicking off the cell phone she tucked it back into her jacket then turning back to Erio with a sheepish grin, "I have to get back the natives are getting restless."

She then started gathering the six drink bottles trying to juggle them in her arms before Erio reached out and took half, "Here let me help, there's not much else for me to do right now."

Smiling gratefully, "Thanks, we're in the conference room up the hall."

Returning to the room with Erio in tow she wondered once again on how she was going to keep her cool with her sister. Upon opening the door Nora looked up and squealed, "Uncle Erio!"

Kyra looked up at this and smiled at the man before jetting over to hug him with her sister. The young man laughed, "I should have known you two would be corrupting the next generation of Testarossas already. Your moms have been teasing poor Fate for the past hour in front of the cameras. I should have known Akko would have set you two on her children."

"Please Uncle Erio, if we are bad it's only because of you," Kyra replied sassily.

Vivio frowned at the new comer at first but thought, 'don't be rude Vi, he is obviously a friend of the Sanders family and by extension probably a friend of ours. Smile and be gracious, he was helping Einhart after all.' Then she suddenly felt very alone as her younger sisters were being introduced and obviously being taken in by the man's natural charm. Shaking her unease away she made her way over to the young man and tried to be as pleasant as possible. But being her normal sweet charming self was becoming difficult, seeing how close he was standing to Einhart was beginning to irk her. When the young man's hand came to rest briefly on Einhart's shoulder the urge to push the man away and hold onto Einhart was strong. But then Einhart mentioned something about having lunch soon to get to know each other better. It was obvious Vi's sister didn't want to be rescued from this young man's charms.

Erio smiled at the blonde and made a mental note to ask if perhaps this girl really was related to the Testarossas, she looked too much like Fate for it to be coincidence. Maybe a cousin from Fate's vaguely known maternal side, no one knew much about the Mason family other than Peter Mason was a great director and he had fathered Precia. Or had Fate may be donated another ovum and this girl was result? No way was she just a random stray picked up.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Jail Stratos Scaglietti had a plan to take over Testarossa Corp, it was his by rights after all, he was the only _real_ living Testarossa. He looked over the hotel dining hall where the Lost Logia fan dinner would be held that evening. He had worked hard to gain this position of trust within Testarossa Corp and now he would use his inside knowledge to destroy them. After the world realized what disgusting frauds they were they would be clamoring for him to take over and take the company back to its roots of traditional family safe entertainment. Then he would use his wealth and popularity as the leader of Testarossa Corp to segue into politics and he would lead the traditionalists to power. Minorities, women and all those deadbeats living on the public dole needed to be put back in their place.

A purple haired head rose after perusing a clipboard and looked over the staffing and Jail fought to keep a sneer off his face at the sight of the Mexican workers. Damn wetbacks, they had no place here, soon he would have his way, in his perfect world they'd be gone. All he needed to do was get rid of the loudmouth redhead who went around bossing everyone around and her brats. He had a fool proof plan to get rid of her and her brats, no one would miss them. It was just a timing issue now, after this month long event when the media had already been sated with Testarossa tragedies their demise would be just a blimp, a footnote in a catalogue of what happens to terrible people. Poor little Fate and her family would have to face some difficult challenges during their stay. But it must be done, the blonde freak needed to pay for her transgressions against the family name and set the stage for his final act of triumph.

A small smile flicked onto his lips then fled, once he was done with Fate and her _family_ they will never want to step back onto American soil again_. _'_S_uffer the little children to come onto me,' he thought maliciously. 'That Jap bitch will wish she'd never met Fate or tried to pass off those artificial beings as children. It wouldn't take much to push the children into doing something immoral or disgusting and once it was captured on film the whole world will get to see exactly how reprehensible they really are. Until then he would throw a few monkey wrenches at Fate's supposed perfect marriage, a few old flames dangled enticingly in front of her should be enough.

Then he thought about Arf again and felt his bile rise, if she thought she was going to get to keep the company in her degenerate line then she would find herself wrong, _dead wrong_. But even with the redheaded harpy and those boys gone he had a problem, the Testarossa-Harlaown girl. He had to remove her as a viable inheritor but how? Alicia's daughter could be seen as the real heir to the Company and she had the looks and smarts to carry it off.

Einhart Stratos was the only real obstacle he had, he couldn't just arrange an accident like with the harpy. It would be investigated so thoroughly he would be caught. Too many accidents all at once related to one family would scream conspiracy and then he would be the villain. The girl had just arrived and already the American public was falling all over itself to worship her as the new Testarossa Princess. She had been named The Serene Angel by an adoring press, the green haired beauty who was raised in foreign lands and spoke with quiet dignity and a beautiful smile. 'Too much dignity…hmm I might be able to use that. After all, Pride cometh before the fall. Now if only I can find a crack, a lever. Well I have a month, I will watch and wait, eventually they'll all fall into my hands.'

'No,' he thought as he tasted the food which would be served and nodded his approval, the remaining blonde twin wouldn't be a problem. She was a sexual deviant and had already renounced all claims on the company, idiot. Just ruin her personal life and move on, nothing but a routine bait and expose will be needed. She must have taken some brain damage in the car accident, why else would she have been willing to give up her position in the family? She could be President of Testarossa Corp now and be wielding enormous amounts of power and influence but she gave it all up and moved to Japan to marry _another_ woman and run a bakery, stupid doesn't even begin to describe her.

She had even taken those little freaks of hers out of the line to inherit the company. His, ugh, second cousin was a subnormal miscreant. Really she had taken all the work out of his plan, but who knew how she'd react once Arf and her sons were removed. No, it was best to discredit and humiliate her and her children that will keep them from trying to step up and take over.

Jail stopped in front of a mirror and straightened his already straight tie, flicked a piece of nonexistent dust from his shoulder and continued on his inspection of the dining hall. 'I maybe the illegitimate grandson of Theodore Stratos Testarossa II but I'm a hell of a lot better than the lot who currently have control of the company,' smiling viciously, 'and soon the world is going to learn of my greatness.'

The yellow eyed man ground his teeth as he thought of the old dog, his grandsire, the man had been a philanderer and all around corrupt good ol'boy who could not have been more different than his duty driven son, namesake and eventual heir. The scoundrel was known to have sired at least three illegitimate children, all daughters and therefore to him useless. His modus operandi being, drop a few bills on the night table after he was done with his partners and never think again about the woman or wonder at the consequences of his actions.

The Grand Hotel chambermaid who gave birth to his sickly but driven father hid the boy from the arrogant man, and sent incriminating letters demanding money. That had supported the family for years but funds dried up the moment the old man died and the greedy stickler Theo the third took control of the family empire. After that his father had struggle to find the money to give Jail an education all the while inculcating within him a deep hatred of the entitled Testarossa heirs. Now he was set on the path of vengeance and was striving to claim his _rightful_ inheritance.

The blood-wars were soon to begin, all he needed to do was show the world how incompetent and depraved the current batch of Testarossas were and then make his petition to the newly formed board of Testarossa Corp directors to make him President. Stupid fools had begun to sell stock and now no longer had full control of the company. Soon he'd have full control, the men of the board had _habits and tastes_ that might be looked down upon and he had proof. Yes, this would be so much easier now that all the players were here, let the games begin.

~"~"~"~"~"~

The Testarossa Corp dinner for the Lost Logia cast and a select group of fan club leaders was going well, the geek boy and girl squeals of delight were deafening. Fate was enjoying a moment of introducing her family to a Chicago based comic book shop owner who put on the annual Lost Logia film screening and convention in her city. The woman was staring at Vivio in interest, "Tell me the truth, she's yours right."

Fate laughed, "Of course she's mine, has been for sixteen years."

The woman frowned, "No, really. She looks so much like you and we all know you had to have some kind of relationship with a man at least once, perhaps with CJ Harlaown and she's the result."

Now it was Fate's turn to frown, "Vivio is not my biological daughter nor is she genetically related to me in anyway. If you were a real fan you would drop this and just be happy for me and my family that such a delightful young woman is a part of our lives."

Vivio was now blushing and looking uncomfortable, truthfully she had dreamed of that scenario for years which would have indeed made her Einhart's sister and Fate's daughter but that dream had been squashed well-over a decade ago. Little known to the public Fia had developed Neonatal polycythemia or Hyperviscosity at birth and had to have a blood transfusion. Despite only being eleven at the time she had demanded to be able to donate if it could help her baby sister and it was found Vivio's blood type was AB negative. While her entire family, Nanoha, Fate, Einhart and her new _sister_ were all found to be O negative. It was genetically impossible for either of her "mothers" to have given birth to her.

The woman snorted and began to outline the conspiracy theory that had been perpetrated to hide Vivio's birth from the American public. Vivio could see Fate was more boggled then offended at this but she was getting annoyed. "Look lady, Fate isn't my mother. She adopted me when I was six just like Nanoha Takamachi, neither of them had anything to do with my birth. Believe me when I say the woman who did give birth to me was a hopeless loser and I am extremely thankful to have both Fate and Nanoha take me in."

The middle aged fanatic's face looked like she had just bitten into a lemon and was about to argue when Nanoha gave her the faux smile she used for such uncomfortable occasions and quipped, "Normally people are trying to claim Vivio is my love child with my childhood friend Yuuno Scrya since she has the same coloring as him. It's very interesting to be the innocent party for once cleaning up Fate's indiscretions in popular myth. I can assure you though, Vivio is adopted. She had a very rough start in life but has grown up to be a wonderful woman, daughter and actor."

Fate felt like she had been kicked in the stomach, Vivio had denied she was her mother, in context it was the truth but as far as she was concerned Vivio was hers just like Fia, Sora and Einhart. Fate looked at her now red faced daughter, "Sweet Pea, let's go for a walk, I think we all need a minute to clear our heads."

The blonde pair walking off after the rather loud outburst made a number of heads turn to follow but the rest of the family stayed put when Fate waved them back. Once they got to a balcony that over looked the city and were quite secluded Fate turned to her daughter, "Baby girl, you know that I love you right? Just as much as I do the other girls, maybe even a little more if truth be told. You remind me so much of Nanoha and were key in bringing me out of my depression. You're my little angel. If anything happened to you it would kill me."

Vivio looked into Fate's eyes and only saw love and the honest open soul of her mother. Vivio hugged her mother and mumbled into her shoulder, "Oh mama, I love you so much. I wish you really were my biological mother too but just knowing you love me is enough to make me happy."

Petting Vivio's hair Fate asked, "Do you want me to try and find her? I know I've offered before but is now the time? You know it wouldn't change the way we see you, no matter who she turns out to be."

Vivio pulled back and looked the elder blonde in the eyes, "I don't want to know, I…I remember enough to know she isn't worth the effort. If I lost you or Nanoha-mama I'd fight tooth and nail to get back to you but this woman, she never cared about me."

Fate kissed her forehead, "Baby girl, you better believe, me, Nanoha, Fia, Sora, and Einhart, we all love you. We are a very eclectic family when you think about it but remember its love that is the glue that holds us together. We choose to be a family no matter what the world has to say about it."

~"~"~"~"~"~

Yellow cat like eyes took in the exchange between the blondes, was there another heiress? He snorted his nose a little and shook his head as a familiar urge pulled on him. Later he told himself, he had to focus. The little mix-breed brats were now joining the interchange, but they didn't worry him. They were the result of an unnatural science project and even now in the U.S. the wise people recognized such _offspring_ as soulless abominations. They weren't like other IVF* babies like Precia Testarossa tried to claim. They were the results of actual genetic manipulation, fucking Frankenstein babies, creepy things and he'd prove it.

Jail shifted in his hiding spot, he felt something drip from his nose, taking out his handkerchief he blew. Looking down he saw blood and mucus stained the silk fabric, shrugging he tucked it back into his pocket then went back to watching, the foursome was now joined by the Jap and Alicia's girl. Then a shiver of apprehension went up his spine, what if the blonde really is Fate's real daughter? Even if illegitimate then she'd be the next inline after the purple haired girl. It was essential that the rumors were put to rest once and for all.

The two days later the tabloids carried a photo of Vivio and next to her was a mug shot of another woman, she was strung out looking and obviously a hooker. The headline,

"**Origins of Takamachi-Testarossa Guttersnipe Revealed."**

It was a purposeful slap in the face for Vivio. Whoever wrote the article wanted to offend and degrade the blonde and did a great job doing so. Some choice lines of the article popped out at the reader: gold-digger's discarded offspring, bastard child of known felons, abandoned per sources due to being mentally defective, no talent fame-seeking hack, and coat-tail riding on fake mothers' popularity abroad. There was even a history of how her birth parents got together and then dumped her but it was written so no pity could be given to the abandon child she'd been.

Vivio had heard a scream and knew it was Einhart, fear for her best friend and sister coursed through her along with adrenaline causing her to bolt out of bed and rush into the living room. Everyone was there, 'that's different,' she thought dumbly for a moment. Blinking to clear her vision then taking in the raging Einhart she walked over and asked, "What's wrong Ein, what the hell?"

The green haired girl bit her lip and with an anguished look on her face she handed her the newspaper. The blonde took a few moments to read this copy of the paper. It was a kick in the stomach. Vivio looked up at her family. Arf who had brought four copies of the paper was now talking quietly with a stoically determined look on her face to Fate in the corner. The blonde had angry tears running down her face and was clenching her fists and looked ready to murder someone. Nanoha was standing next to her trying to keep her calm by petting her arm but she didn't look any calmer, her sapphire eyes blazing with anger. Fia was staring at the paper jaw hung loose as she read the article for what was likely her third time. Sora was sitting on the couch her arms wrapped around herself and staring blankly around the room.

Vivio had tried to laugh at first, the article and everyone's reaction was surreal. Then she looked back at Einhart, the girl was being held back by their burly male cousins, Ruff and Baxter. "Let me go, I'm going to fucking tear Jay P. Ryerson into pieces. The dirty bastard has the gall to write shit about Vi and think he's gonna get away with it. Uh-uh, that fucker is dead. Nelson Myers, editor, is gonna be dessert. I am going to eviscerate him. These disgusting pieces of trash need to be dealt with so let me go or I swear to god Ruff I'll break your hand."

It had been Einhart's voice that had awoken her, the scream of "Bastards!" and then a long stream of expletives that would have made a sailor blush. Vivio hadn't even known Einhart knew half those words and cursing in three languages simultaneously was quite the feat. Caro was trying to reason with her quietly, "We can't do anything brashly Ein, Arf knows what to do to handle this correctly. If you go off halfcocked it will just cause more problems."

"Einhart enough!" Fate's voice was commanding and everyone turned to look at the elder blonde.

Fate came over to Vivio and hugged the girl, Vivio at first stiffened then let herself melt into her mother's embrace, she was confused over the whole situation, 'why the hell is my entire family here, what are we gonna to do about that damn article and public reaction ugh.' She relaxed because she'd always been safe leaning on Fate no matter what, 'mama's never let me down and she's holding me so things can't be that bad, just trust in mama and everything will be okay.'

Fate kissed her forehead, "Baby girl, the person who wrote that article, the editor, printers, everyone down to the damn paperboys who delivered this garbage are all going to pay for this libel. I don't care if the basic facts are true, their presentation of them in the most unflattering and evil manner makes this an attack on our family. No one prints garbage like this about my daughter and gets away with it."

Vivio sighed, Fate in her crusade mode was unstoppable and could be frightening if Nanoha wasn't around to rein her in. "Mama, please don't go overboard, a lot of the crap they wrote is just a rehash of the hazing articles written about me in Japan when I first started acting. As for the stuff about my real parents well I knew deep down for a long time who and what my parents were, now the rest of the world does too."

The little blonde's eyes filled with tears, "Now I guess you can understand why I never wanted you to find them. I really wanted to hold onto the fantasy that you are my real mom, blood and bone, not just emotionally and spiritually."

Fate hugged her tighter, and the girl went on, "Ever since you and Ein came into my life I wished I was really related to Nanoha-mama or you. I know you all love me but I want to belong to you, not these stupid people. I want my blood to mean something."

Nanoha came over to her daughter and pulled her out of Fate's arms. Looking at her eye to eye, "You are mine. I claimed you, blood, bone, and soul, everything, when I found you. I look at you and I don't think about where you came from but where we are going together as a family. I was a scared eighteen year old with a sick child grasping onto me. But the moment I looked into your eyes I knew god or the universe, some higher power, put you on my path. I was meant to be your mother, I have never once doubted that fact."

Vivio's lip began to quiver and then she fell on her mother in sobs, "Mama, mama."

Nanoha caught Vivio and held her up despite the girl now being over two inches taller than her. She rubbed her hand up and down her back and hummed to her trying to calm her down. It was only when Sora got up and pulled on her sister's arm did the taller blonde finally sniffle and in a choked voice ask, "Wot?"

Sora looked at her sister's tear blotched face and smiled, "I love you Vivio Takamachi-Testarossa, you are My sister." Then her smile went teasing, "I don't have any choice in regards to Fia but I am proud to claim you as my sister, now and forever."

Vivio laughed and cried at that and hugged her normally reserved little sister who hugged her back unrestrainedly.

Fia muscled her younger sister off Vivio after about a minute, "Alright you midget, you've had your minute. Now get off MY Vivio, I had her first. She's my big sister and since I'm in a generous mood I'll be happy to share a tiny bit. Maybe every third Sunday once a month but you'll have to call ahead in advance to make sure I'm not busy with her already."

Vivio was now really laughing and hugged her little auburn haired sister, "There is more than enough of me to go around Fia."

Fia snuggled into her sister's side and with ill grace said, "I guess," then pulled Sora into a group hug.

Looking on and not knowing what to do Einhart felt so helpless, she wanted to comfort Vivio and tell her she loved her. Just as her sisters and mothers had done and make the blonde girl feel accepted and loved. To Einhart the girl's biological parentage meant nothing, except to perhaps reinforce in her mind that they really weren't sisters and there wasn't any biological reason why they shouldn't be lovers.

If only she could be brave and truthfully declare she didn't want Vivio as a sister. She wanted her as a lover, a wife and future mother to her children. Einhart wanted to make a real family with Vivio, to give her a place where blood did bind. Clumsily she joined her family in the group hug and in the exchange of loving embraces and familial kisses. Trying once again to feel only sisterly affection for the blonde angel who had stolen her heart so many years ago she hugged the girl, and failed miserably.

*A.N.: If you Google "Test tube baby soulless" you will find some crackpot religious nut going off on how the children born by "In Vitro Fertilization" (IVF) lack souls and are monsters. Lovely fun stuff to laugh at, I had a coworker go through the IVF process with her husband and they now have a beautiful little boy. He definitely has a soul and she had him baptized so obviously her local pastor agrees. The medical technology needed in the real world for Fia and Sora to be born isn't here yet but I pray some day it will. Life is precious and when two people love each other they should have the chance to create a child together as a living symbol of that love.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not claim ownership of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Series or its Characters. _

_**A/N**__: Hello Everyone! Thanks for all the reviews and love. Big oops on me I put one too many I's at the end of the Theo Testarossa that sired Jail's dad. (Fixed that) It wasn't Fate's grandfather but her great grandfather. Yeah, I'd like to imagine what the little bitch Natsumi would have said if she found out her Theo had a bastard son. He would have had to sleep with one eye open if he wanted to keep his package after that. No, he may have cheated on Natsumi but he was too anal to ever allow a bastard to ever be produced. I also like to think Theo III was borderline OCD and probably had issues with touching other people so I doubt there was much hanky-panky going on._

_Let me see if I can make the Testarossa male line clear here:_

_-Theo the first founded Testarossa Corp and there hasn't been a mention of him as of yet story wise, he just had the one son and made the mistake of spoiling the little shit rotten._

_-Theo the second was a philandering good ol'boy who fathered a bunch of kids and just spent daddy's money when he came into his inheritance. Only claimed one of his children, his namesake but had four others, three girls (the eldest daughter was the grandmother of Arf) and one son who went on to father Jail._

_-Theo the third was a super strict asshole who was actually a good businessman but a prick to his family, married Natsumi and had two sons._

_-Theo the fourth died when he was in his teens while on a movie shoot, never married, would have been Fate's uncle but he died before she was born__. His brother was Malcolm who was Fate &amp; Alicia's father._

_**Warning**__: Mentions of rape, sexual abuse and curse words in this chapter. I don't take rape or abuse lightly, it is evil and if I had my way the perpetrators would be put down like the sick animals they are. _

_**A/N2**__: Now on to happy thoughts, oops sorry there aren't many in this chapter, kinda angsty overall so sorry but it will get fluffier later on. I PROMISE, I even have a few cute scenes already written out for future use, so please don't give up on the story. _

_I hope everyone is having fun with my story so far, keep reading, reviewing and following. All the warm fuzzies fuel my writing._

_Now without further ado…on with the show yeah!_

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Chapter 3

It was the end of that first contentious week in America and Vivio was sitting in the hotel suite brooding. Fate-mama was at a convention (a place to be avoided) with Akko, the girls were with Eden and Nanoha-mama taking in a theme park which she had declined to join them in hopes of catching a few hours alone with her sister but Einhart was gone before she woke up. 'Where the hell is she? For the past week she has been avoiding me, first it was spending time with Aunt Arf and her boys then Caro, then she was helping Fate-mama with dealing with the newspapers and now she leaves without even leaving me a note.'

To say Einhart was avoiding Vivio would be both a true and false statement, as the young woman was avoiding being _alone_ with her. Though in fairness, she was actively trying to get the blonde to join in with activities planned with other family members alongside her. Einhart had tried to have a private moment with the blonde and had nearly given herself away. Which led in turn to the brightly flushed green haired girl fleeing the hotel for a few hours, she had to work out how she was going to deal with the new 'Vivio needs our emotional support and love' situation.

At the time passersby must have thought the muttering and flustered Einhart was an escaped mental patient. Walking in endless circles in a park she finally came to the conclusion, 'No, it was better for Vivio and everyone else if we avoid any further scandals this trip." Einhart argued with herself and convinced herself to not go after the blonde now or ever. 'After all,' her overheated brain supplied, 'the world would just think the worse of Vivio and me if I came out now. They would try to blame her for corrupting me and when she rejects me some will try to say she played with my emotions, strung me along. I will not allow myself to be used as a weapon against her. I've lived with these feelings for a decade I can survive a couple of weeks in close quarters with her. Once we're back in Japan I can avoid her physically, maybe restrict myself to phone calls so I don't hurt her too much.'

For Vivio the revelation of who her parents were was now affecting every facet of her life and making her think twice and doubt every decision she had to make. This was especially true regarding her feelings for Einhart. She knew she loved her sister, she'd lay down her life for her. But the recent realization of her own romantic feelings for Einhart was now weighting her down in new ways. The details of who her parents were made her feel sick and want to consider sterilization. How could she even begin to hope Einhart, perfect and pure, would ever want to debase herself by being with a _guttersnipe_?

As the blonde lay on the couch she thought about her parents, what she had learned from the papers, what Fate-mama had gleaned in her own hurried investigation and what she could remember from that harrowing time. Her mother was really a victim herself but so torn down by the time Vivio was born she had no pity for her child. Her mother Lyudmila Andreevna Bagrova had been a victim of human trafficking and had been brought to Japan when she was seven. Subjected to child prostitution for a number of years until she got too old for her owner's cliental then sold to another sex shop owner. She had tried to run away but her owners knew they could get a great deal of money out of having her on their _menu_ so she was drugged to keep her pliant.

For fifteen years Mila was the victim of men and seen as only an object to be used to relieve men's sexual desires. Then she met Matsushima Tetsuyuki, the half-gaijin Yakuza bully boy. He took an immediate liking to the green eyed blonde and decided she would belong to him. Yuki was on his way up in his gang and was doing well in the protection racket and owning Mila gave him a boost in street cred. For the first time she was treated with care and it seemed like Yuki was in love with her. He refused to allow any other man to touch her and was very violent towards those who dared to look at her too long. The two soon came to the point where they "owned" an entire small town and were living well. That's when things went sour, a senior Yakuza leader decided to come visit.

The older man decided he wanted to use Mila's services and Yuki looking out for his own best interest gave her to him. She was beaten and raped multiple times while the leader stayed with Matsushima. After the man left she attempted her revenge on her former lover by slashing his face with a kitchen knife, gouging out one of his eyes and stabbing him in the back and leaving slash marks on his back and arms. He in return he nearly beat her to death. The now bodily ruined Mila had nowhere to go and so stayed as a sort of cleaning woman for the Yakuza headquarters where she was used by many of the henchmen for her former lover.

One night Yuki in a drunken stupor took Mila against her will and impregnated her. She tried to lose the baby with a combination of strong street drugs which she had learned to use in prior times when she'd had to "take care" of herself. When Yuki realized it was his child he forced her to take care of herself in hopes of having a son to carry on his family name. A few months later the child who would be Vivio was born and was immediately determined to be a disappointment.

First she wasn't a son and second she didn't look Japanese. Yuki knew the child was his since she had his eyes. She had the rare heterochromatic iridis trait he had inherited from his own foreign mother. His trademark and claim to power was his unnerving "cursed" eyes and they were staring up at him from the small bundle. Unnerved by seeing his own eyes looking up at him he didn't kill the child but decided he didn't want to have it around.

He sent Mila and the child to live in an apartment complex on the edge of town. Mila was expected to take in washing and do cleaning jobs to earn her keep. The baby was given to an old woman who lived in the apartment to be watched but the woman had little patience for a "cursed" baby. The infant was often left neglected all day in her crib and starved. How the child survived to her third year would be a mystery but the little girl was a determined survivor. It was this indefatigable spirit that earned her the loathing of most of the apartment complex, why wouldn't the little changeling just die?

Yuki came to see Mila from time to time and left her small amounts of money for the "care" of his child but the money was spent on other things and the man never spent a moment of time actually looking at the child until Mila died. It was at least a painless death, chasing the dragon in her pursuit of a peaceful and painless moment Mila overdosed on heroine, she was only twenty-six years old. Three days passed before anyone noticed her death then the old woman dragged the emaciated child to the Yakuza headquarters and dumped the child there. Yuki was ashamed of the child and she was pushed into the street where she was ignored by the neighborhood people.

Two days passed with her barely surviving on scraps and the occasional handout from a softhearted local teen. Yuki received complaints about the child and he decided to take care of the problem, permanently. He drove the child to the "old town," an abandon village forty-five minutes away that was going back to wilderness. He took out his gun and stared down at the child who stared back at him with his own eyes. Unnerved by the child he decided to just leave her there. No one lived in the abandon village and in a few days nature would take care of his problem once in for all, no need for him to dirty his own hands. So he left, the child never once cried or spoke the entire time she was with him.

It was another four days until Nanoha found the child during a shoot for her movie. What the child did to survive no one knows but survive she did. It was only once Nanoha made her appearance on set that the child made herself known. The auburn haired young woman saw the grubby child and instead of calling out or running after her she calmly walked up to her hiding place and carefully knelt and spoke calmly to the child. The girl came out of hiding all the way but nearly fled when a crew member tried to grab her. Nanoha got up and knocked the man away from the child stating in a fierce but soft voice, "Don't touch her!"

The girl allowed the sapphire eyed woman to pick her up, her small body rigid at the unfamiliar gentle touch. As Nanoha hummed softly and petted her hair the girl relaxed into her embrace, latching onto her immediately. Every instinct the child possessed was screaming "Do Not Let Go." It was from that day on that Takamachi Nanoha had a daughter and the nameless girl had a mother. Nanoha named the child Vivio as there had never been a child with a greater will to live then the one who had come into her life. Once her health was assured Nanoha gave the child every benefit she could, exposed her to the best things in the world and all wondrous experiences she could. The greatest gift being a loving family, a family finally made complete when she married Fate and made Einhart her sister.

It was love that saved the broken child Vivio had been. But the nightmares she once had were now being reawakened. The pictures of Mila and Yuki in the papers had her long forgotten and suppressed memories springing forth. She never should have been born, she wasn't wanted, she was defective, and a multitude of other cruel remarks made to her as a child began whispering through her mind. The hugs and gentle touches of her family helped quiet the ghosts but Vivio knew who she needed to finally quiet them permanently. Just like sixteen years ago, she needed Einhart, needed the acceptance and love of the greatest person she had ever met.

From the first time they had fallen asleep together as children the nightmares fled. Not even Nanoha-mama had been able to do that. Her perfect mama could calm all her fears and could soothe her mind after a nightmare, but it was Einhart who was her personal white knight in shining armor who kept every foul nightmare at bay. Her cool fingers entwined with her own, or the warmth of her body settled against her own, the hushed sound of her breath as she slept nearby, all evoked a sense of peace and tranquility that Vivio could not find anywhere else.

Vivio sighed and sat up, rubbing her forehead she tried once again to clear her mind. The nagging fears didn't want to retreat and Vivio wanted desperately for Einhart to walk in and hug her like when they were children. Was it dependency? Was she only using her sister for emotional succor? Had she perverted their relationship into one of lust because of her own degenerate beginnings? She slapped her own face and cried out, "Ack! Enough of this madness, I'm going shopping. I don't need a babysitter or anyone to hold my hand in order to be happy. Yup! I am completely capable and independent."

Pep talk complete she decided to make the best of her free day as she pulled on a hooded pullover and found a pair of sunglasses to disguise herself. The questions people put to her since the article still upset her but there was no way she was going to hole up in the hotel and let them ruin her vacation. She made her way down to the shopping district to look into finding some early Christmas presents or in reality do a little therapeutic shopping.

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Einhart was eating lunch with Erio in the shopping the district so he could show her the story boards and give her a full copy of his project's script. She refused to meet the man in private and never in an enclosed space, always open air cafes or parks with a large number of people nearby. She never wanted to be alone with a man. She felt trapped and suffocated around them and hated the idea of acting in a romantic role against one.

Her aversion so strong she hadn't played in a romance since her first personally traumatizing role. Everyone thought it had gone off perfectly and she had great _chemistry_ with her costar but in reality it had taken every ounce of her resolution to even allow the man to touch and kiss her. She had imagined herself kissing Vivio and doing all the romantic things in the film with the blonde which may have given everyone the perception she was happy with her costar. No, men were definitely not her cup of tea, and very few women could even catch her attention outside Vivio.

Reading through the script she couldn't help but laugh, it felt good to get her mind off Vivio and just concentrate on something mundane like work. 'Yes this is nice, no distracting blonde around to get me in trouble,' she though shifting in her seat. 'Oh Vi would love this film, she loves action-fantasy films. Hmm this character would look better with her hair more like Vi's when she is working out.' She took a napkin and pulled out a pen to make a rough draft of some changes to the characters.

She showed Erio her own take on the main character and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Immediately he was leaning across the table and grabbing her hands, he seemed too gibbered for a moment before choking out, "How?! This is perfect… I… Einhart please you have to join this project, in any capacity. We need you."

Einhart pleased with his positive reaction decided to take a risk and sign onto the project. If nothing else it would give her a reason to avoid being alone with Vivio. With a serious smile Einhart decided to lay her cards down on the table, "Erio, I'll do it but I'll need some flexibility in the work schedule. I'm here for Fate-mama's celebration and mean to spend time with her and the family. I don't want to be tied up in the studio just yet, I promise I'll work on this with you in a timely manner but I can't completely commit yet."

The redhead smiled brightly, "Family comes first. Caro's the same way. I understand and we can just do the prep work now and I'll start looking for investors. With you and Caro signed on I think I may finally get to work on a properly funded project."

Einhart gave him a confused frown at that, "Oh I'm sure we can find investors, let me call Auntie Arf and she'll be all over this. She's been dying to get me involved in something state side for years."

Erio's eyes widened, "You'd be willing to talk to your…uh Aunt for this? Caro never wants to bother her with projects, doesn't want it to feel like nepotism."

Einhart snorted and patted his hand, "Erio, if she hates the project she'll dump it in the trashcan and tell me to take a hike. Arf is a business woman first and an Aunt second when it comes to funding projects. Now mom on the other hand would likely fund anything I ask her sight unseen just because she loves me. No, Fate Takamachi-Testarossa has definitely lost her edge when it comes to us kids."

Erio took that in with a thoughtful look, "Does that include Caro?"

"Especially Caro, she never asks mom for anything. If Caro asked for a kidney mom would grab the kitchen knife and present it to her on a silver platter. She feels a lot of guilt over Caro, Carim really did a number on her childhood and Fate feels like she abandoned her to a lot of hardship when she was lost in her depression." Einhart's face had a look of exasperation on it, really her mother loved to feel guilty, freaking masochist.

"Do you think of Caro as a sister, I mean what is her position in your family?"

If Caro hadn't told Einhart that Erio was her best friend she would have clammed up at this moment but instead thought about the questions seriously.

Sighing, "She's my cousin but I think we are a bit closer then cousins are normally, but no I don't see her as a sister, maybe my best friend, I trust her judgment and would depend on her willingly. Fate sees her as a daughter really but there is a lot of baggage there. Nanoha loves her but I don't think it's the same way she loves the rest of us kids. Caro entered her life in midst of a lot of drama in her and Fate's relationship so that may have colored the way she sees her. But believe me, Nanoha would protect her tooth and nail just like the rest of us. I just don't think she's as comfortable giving her the physical affection she gives the rest of us.

As for Fia and Sora, she really doesn't know the younger girls very well since she lives in the U.S. and only visits us during school vacations. The girls really like and respect her and her abilities. She's more of a friend to them than a relative, since she and I get along so well it's like their sister's friend is visiting instead of a strange relative they only see twice a year. I know Sora really looks up to her since she is…um how does she put it, ah…Caro's a cool intelligent woman who has a good head on her shoulders. I swear I've never laughed as hard as when I heard seven year old Sora say that."

The humor in Einhart's eyes died a bit as she went on, "Then there's Vivio, she and Caro don't really get along very well but that's due to some friction between them over their relationship with Fate. Caro is Fate's biological daughter and that's something Vivio has always wanted to be. Caro in Vivio's eyes is an idiot for staying with Carim. If she had been in her position she would have left Carim and come to live with Fate from day one. Caro says she would have but she couldn't abandon her mother, someone had to take care of her after her father killed himself. If she had left then Carim likely would have killed herself. I can see both sides on this argument and try not to get involved."

"I didn't realize it was so complicated, so I guess asking Vivio to join us on the project may not be such a good idea then?"

Einhart smiled wryly, "Only if you want to witness world war three up close and personal. Well, it might not be that bad, Vi is a professional. It's amazing watching her work." Einhart's face softened and her eyes went a bit dreamy as she spoke, "She goes from a complete goofball to this incredibly poised and…elegant…no it's more than that. It's like she really becomes her character on set and when they call cut she goes into this very aloof stance. She isn't the clumsy joker she normally presents to the world but a consummate professional. She really looks like Fate in those moments."

The red haired man took in the tone and softness in Einhart's manner and recognized the "look" immediately. Einhart Stratos Testarossa-Harlaown was in love with her _sister._ 'Huh,' he thought, 'I wonder if Caro and the rest of the family know? This family gets more interesting by the minute.'

Erio was holding Einhart's hand and Einhart had her dreamy look seemingly gazing across the table pointed at him when Vivio caught sight of the pair. Vivio felt eviscerated at the sight, leaving her to trip figuratively on her entrails as she stumbled away. Leaning against a wall Vivio pressed her hand to her aching chest. Tears sprung unbidden to her eyes and her heart felt like a hot poker had just been rammed through it. Gasping back the pain her mind groaned, 'No hope, I knew that all along, but…Ein-chan, my Ein-chan, that's right, you are supposed to be mine. Ein didn't we promised to always be together, if you fall in love with him I'll never see you again. I can't do this Ein. I don't think I'll survive losing you completely.'

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The next week Einhart was busy with Caro and Erio working on the revisions to characters and meeting with Arf to finalize the financing of the film. Arf was excited two of the Testarossa girls would finally be working in the U.S. on a project she could throw the entire weight of Testarossa Corp behind. She tried convincing Caro to bury the hatchet with Vivio and invite her to work on the project but the pink haired girl winced a lot during the conversation so Arf dropped the subject.

Instead to bolster the Testarossa angle she sent Russell, her eldest son to work on the project as a liaison but made it clear that Erio was in charge. Russell "Ruff" Testarossa-Wolkenritter was happy to be working with his cousins and teased Ein about giving him his nickname before moving overseas. The burly Ruff had his father's build but his mother's pale skin, shocking red hair and blue eyes. He had an amusing mix of his parents' temperament, he could stoically stare a person down or give them a blistering tongue lashing depending on his mood and his intended victim.

Einhart was able to get Caro to accept Vivio at their informal creative brainstorming meetings but like Nanoha Vivio didn't have a lick of artistic or creative ability further than drawing stick figures. Vivio also failed at the whole making things up, anytime the pair had gotten into trouble as kids she had always left the alibi creation to Einhart. After two sessions of feeling like a useless fifth wheel she excused herself and avoided the Mondial Arts offices.

Three days into her new working relationship with Mondial Arts Einhart was pleasantly surprised to find Caro and Erio wrapped up in each other kissing in the offices. It relieved her mind to know the friendliness Erio had been showing her wasn't coy flirting but an honest attempt to become her friend. For some odd reason the handsome redhead felt unworthy of his intended bride and was hoping to develop an alliance with Einhart. He was convinced if he could get her to accept him then maybe the rest of the ultra famous and talented family would see he was really worthy of Caro.

After this Einhart and Erio spent more time together as Caro was busy with the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra during the day. The pair would talk about family, personal histories and the project. Einhart liked the young man but she was concerned with the secretiveness of his relationship with Caro. Sitting at a café and sipping her coffee she looked at the young man seriously, "Erio, if you really love Caro you need to talk to Fate. She likes you and all she's ever wanted for her children is for us to find love."

He wrinkled his brow at this, "Shouldn't there be a bit more to that statement, like love and success in business or our chosen career?"

Einhart's lips twitched into a small half smile that fled quickly as she resumed her serious attitude, "Nope, just love. That is the greatest success for a person in her eyes, to find true love."

He shifted in his chair and studied her for a moment, "You're serious."

Nodding, "Yes, Mom is very big on love. It makes the world go around."

Lifting an eyebrow at that, "I thought that was money?" he replied drily as she took a drink of his espresso.

"Not for Fate _Takamachi_-Testarossa, if she thought she could have gotten away with it she would have dropped the name Testarossa all together. She lives for love, her love of Nanoha, us kids, her family, friends, and her work, in that order mind. In fifty or sixty years or god willing more when Nanoha dies, if Fate hasn't already passed, I can guarantee to you she will not live longer than a week after her lover has died. I'm pretty sure Fate's greatest ambition at this point is to live to see some grandchildren and maybe great grandchildren, spoil them rotten and die in her sleep holding Nanoha."

The man before her was definitely struggling with this idea, the most successful woman in the history of the Testarossa clan wasn't concerned with financial or creative success? Einhart placed a hand on his arm to calm him, "Erio, Fate has been at the top of her profession, won every major prize on offer and she dropped all of it for love. She grew up with very little affection. She was taught the only success worth mentioning was the one that brought honor to the family name and money to their accounts. She lived for business success and it nearly destroyed her. She is very happy now running a bakery and sleeping every night next to her wife. She has arranged it that all of her children, Caro included, will never actually have to work a day of their lives if they choose. She wants us all to concentrate on finding what makes us happy and to keep our eyes and hearts open to finding The One."

"The One?" he asked warily.

With a bright smile Einhart explained, "Nanoha and Fate explained this one to us while sitting next to each other, holding each other's hand. The One is the person who makes you feel complete. The one person who just has to walk into the room and it brightens. The One can just touch your hand when you're sad and it lifts your spirit. When you are away from them they are constantly on your mind and you can't wait until the next time you get to see them. You want to make them smile and laugh, and when they're sad it makes your heart ache."

Shifting so she was looking into Erio's eyes, "Do you feel this way about Caro?"

He gaped at her then blushed deeply. He looked down and swallowed hard before looking back up and with all the conviction he could muster said, "Yes."

Smiling at his answer, "Good, because I know Caro feels that way about you. So you two will most definitely have Fate's blessing. If she gives you the old stink eye just know it's her testing you. Just stand firm and know she'd never been able to hold that stance for more than two minutes."

He relaxed at this declaration, and then looked at her questioningly, "So have you found your One yet?"

Erio had watched the girl before him carefully the past week, especially when Vivio was present and fully believed they were in love with each other. It was painfully obvious though that neither could see the other was reciprocating the feeling and they were trying to avoid making a move that could lead to rejection. Erio had pointed out the situation to Caro and the pink haired girl had giggled at the situation, "Erio, they've been in love with each other since they were kids. Einhart is putty in Vivio's hands and Vivio follows Einhart around like a lost puppy. The only people I've ever seen more besotted would be Fate and Nanoha. Eventually they'll get their heads out of their asses and get together. I thought my pointing things out to Einhart two years ago and not making a stink about them being _sisters_ would have been enough to show my approval. But she can be pretty stubborn, a bad Testarossa characteristic. I'd say Einhart could do better but that'd be a lie, Vivio worships Einhart and will make a great spouse. Vivio takes after Fate when it comes to relationships, Einhart will be her Waifu, no one and nothing will be more important to her and that's what Einhart deserves."

Erio registered the fleeting pained look on Einhart's face when he asked the question. Then she smiled a wistfully, "I think I have but they will never feel the same way for me as I do for them. I've been hoping that maybe there really is more than One. Cynics like to say there is no such thing as a soul mate but me, I am just hoping to find someone who can at least help me get my mind off her."

He was disturbed by this, "Einhart, if you really love this person you should at least tell them. You never know how things will turn out until the moment."

She shook her head and stood up, "Did you know Erio that love is a two edged sword. On one side it protects and gives us the strength to stand up for the people, things and ideals we care about. But on the other side it destroys, unrequited love can turn a person to bitterness and hate. My mothers have a very silly friend who likes to joke around about serious things but it helped us kids understand difficult concepts growing up. Love is like duct tape, it has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together. It can also cause you to lose large chunks of hair at one time." Her mouth twitched in a small smile for a moment, "you can thank Master Yagami Hayate for that little piece of wisdom."

Stretching, "I am currently suffering from the dark side of love Erio, and I fear the part where large chunks of hair going missing may be in my near future. Take care of Caro, never take her for granted and when you have your first kid consider me for godparent."

Then she walked away leaving him at the café with a half eaten plate of food and the bill.

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The younger set of Testarossa sisters were not finding their L.A. trip all champagne wishes and caviar dreams as their strange Aunt Hayate had teased. Nope, for the fifth time in ten days they had been faced with what normally would have been seen as a moral dilemma. An old woman had just dropped an envelope stuffed with twenties and said old woman had just spent the last hour being a royal bitch to everyone on the tour they had just completed. Fia saw the money and signaled Sora who scooped it up before a greedy and disgruntled looking twenty-something could. The speedy blonde then sprinted off after the grumpy old woman with her sister on her heels. When the woman came into view the elder girl cut her off and respectfully spoke, "Ma'am, excuse us, please wait."

Sora then presented the envelope to her immediately and spoke in an equally respectful tone, "We saw this fall out of your purse. Please be careful in the future there were some people who looked like they might have wanted to keep the money in it. We were able to pick it up before they were able to touch it so it should all be there."

The old woman snatched the envelope from Sora's hands and growled, "It had all better be there you little thief."

Now Fia wasn't about to stand for anyone calling her little sister a thief, "Ma'am my sister is not a thief, to say such a thing to someone trying to help you is rude and ungrateful. Please apologize to her."

The old woman sneered at her then started shirking, "Help! These brats are attacking me! Help thieves!"

Sora and Fia turned and looked at each other in disbelief. A number of people turned to look at the two girls and the old woman, some already muttering disparaging things about the girls when two men and a woman stepped forward. The older of the two men spoke first, "Now see here old woman, I heard the whole thing and those girls gave you your money back and then you were rude to them. What are you playing at calling them thieves?"

The woman hadn't expected to be called out by an adult. Most people just kept to themselves when she pulled this scam and let her push until the children's parents or the adult who found her packet (bait) started to backtrack then began to offer her money to shut her up. The other man obviously married to the pregnant young woman next to him who had pulled them forward to protect the girls now spoke, "That's right. They were even very polite about the whole thing. My wife was very impressed with their manners and pointed them out to me. So what's the deal lady? Why are you suddenly trying to get these nice girls into trouble?"

Eden had finally caught up with the girls, she had seen them run off and had to catch a hold of her own children and work their way through the crowd but was now ready to deal with anyone picking on her charges. The petite redhead walked up to the blustering old woman, "I think we should call the police, obviously this woman was using that envelope of money as bait for some kind of scam. I've seen your type before old woman and you aren't gonna get away with this."

The crowd now fully on the children's side closed in on the old woman and soon the police had her in custody after it was determined the money she was carrying was counterfeit and everything she'd done up to that point was a scam to get real cash from her Good Samaritan slash victim. Fia and Sora were hailed as heroes by the police officers for having caught a scam artist. If they hadn't been so polite and respectful then it was unlikely anyone would have noticed them or stood up for them and then the criminal would have likely made a stink until it was a big scene and money would have had to be paid to shut the woman up. With who their parents were the old woman would have likely thought she had won the lottery.

Jail later received a message from his assistant that ruined his day about all this. His most recent plot had failed. Another of his minions was in jail, no pun intended, the girls not only failed to get sucked into the scam they had gotten his master scam artist caught. He ground his teeth, who the hell were these kids? Didn't they even have a single flaw he could exploit? Greed, jealousy, wrath, pride, and gluttony, he had tried them all but the children seemed above such things. He hadn't tried lust and sloth as he doubted they were of an age yet where such sins could apply. Perhaps he would need to rethink how he dealt with these children, he'd have to dig into their personalities and use something there to turn them on each other.

Shifting the bouquet of flowers in his arms he pasted a smile on his face as he delivered yet another dozen roses from a fan to Fate. The smile fell off when he realized the dressing room was empty. He left the bouquet on the dressing room table with the other six vases. The blonde had left standing orders that all flowers were to be sent on to local hospitals to be enjoyed by long term patients after events ended. Any stuff animals or toys were to be distributed to the local children's shelter after a photo was taken of the object that would then be added to an album commemorating this visit. No wonder her children were such pansies, fucking bleeding heart panty wastes.

He took a moment to peek through Fate's bag sitting on the counter. There was her wallet, credit and debit cards, a remarkably small amount of cash and a revolting amount of photos of her pathetic family. The woman hadn't even blinked when the last three lesbian hotties had been thrown her way. He could have sworn Fate had a thing for Naomi Phisher, they had been way too close in that so called feminist buddy action movie twenty odd years ago. But no, Fate had bored the woman with her talk of her wife and her stupid bakery.

He still hadn't found anything to hold over the Testarossa-Harlaown girl. Well he'd see more of her tonight and perhaps get a handle on her soon. For now he'd concentrate on the elder blonde, the little bastard stray had too easy, it was time for a bigger challenge to fall. He knocked the purse over and the contents spilt across the floor. He picked up feminine products, cosmetics, the wallet and a set of keys. So boring, didn't this woman have any fun? It appeared Fate was completely and utterly pussy whipped. Hmm maybe he was going about this the wrong way? Maybe he should be looking at the little Waifu? Smiling to himself he decided to shift his concentration, who knows it might even be interesting.

~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~

After their last conversation Erio decided to take Einhart's advice and with Caro beside him they revealed their relationship. Fate didn't even attempt to intimidate him, she instantly engulfed him in a hug and welcomed him to the family. Nanoha on the other hand did take him aside and in a chillingly calm voice made it clear if he ever treated Caro poorly she would personally hang, draw and quarter him then display his head in her bakery's front window as a warning to any future suitors. When he came back into the room shivering Einhart was watching for him with a giant smirk on her face and was barely able to restrain her laughter at his traumatized expression. It wasn't her fault he had the misconception that Fate was the scary one in the family, Nanoha wasn't called the White Devil for nothing.

Arf was thrilled with the engagement and wanted to plan for a family party to celebrate. It would be private and restricted to only the closest family friends and no media allowed. Caro blushingly agreed to the dinner party where they would announce their engagement to the rest of the family for the coming weekend. Arf looked on Caro as her adopted daughter in many ways since the death of Robert Ru Lushe and was looking forward to helping the girl plan her wedding. Maybe now that Caro was taking the plunge she could finally get Einhart and Vivio to come out. 'That is going to be a beautiful wedding.' Arf thought to herself, 'it will be just like when Fate and Nanoha got married sigh gorgeous.'

The wonderful event was a shock to Vivio, she was so sure Erio was after Einhart after seeing them together. They always seemed to be together recently too, but she knew Ein would never consent to being the _other woman_ in a relationship and definitely would never betray Caro by trying to steal her lover. Drinking the free flowing champagne and watching the newly revealed couple it was clear they were in love and the man in question wasn't interested in Einhart the same way he was in Caro. 'Interesting,' thought an increasingly intoxicated Vivio as she saw the couple engage in a rather heated kiss, 'well at least I don't have to worry about Ein staying here after this is all over. She'll be coming home with me, where she belongs.'

Christmas colored heterochromatic eyes followed the green haired girl as she danced with her cousin Baxter Alexandros Testarossa-Wolkenritter. Alex, as he was called by friends and family was a bit shorter than his older brother but just as broad in shoulder. He had his father's silvery white hair and dark skin along with his mother's blue eyes and was consider highly attractive to the girls. Vivio felt the familiar stab of loneliness fill her as Einhart laughed at something the young man said. The blonde took to writing out the genealogical lines for the pair and realized they technically weren't as closely related as she originally thought. What are second cousins once removed? I mean are you even really related anymore? Hell it's even less than that since they had different great grandmothers.

Nanoha was standing next to her wife who was laughing with Arf who was reminiscing about something that happened during her wedding so many years ago. She found herself distracted by the little blonde storm cloud sitting by herself, her mom radar going off, something was wrong. She watched her daughter as she drank more than normal and noted what …ahem who the girl was watching with a burning intensity. Vivio was drinking to excess while mooning over Einhart. Then her daughter's words came back to her, how do you know when you're in love? Oh shit, when did this happen?

Arf saw the look of horror cross Nanoha's face and worriedly asked, "Nanoha what's going on? Did someone get hurt out there?"

Without thinking she blurt out, "She's in love with her sister!"

Arf looked at the now intoxicated Vivio who had her face laying on the table as she watched her sister with a forlorn look on her face. She sighed at the pathetic nature of her the girl she considered a niece. Vivio really needed to get off her ass and just ask the girl out. What wait! Nanoha didn't know? How the hell had she missed the signs, shit this has been looming on the horizon for what? Eight years, maybe longer for Einhart, she'd been a freaking territorial Nazi over the other girl since before puberty.

Leaning closer to her friend, and in an exasperated tone said, "Nanoha, one word, DUH! They have been in love with each other since they were kids. How the hell did you miss that, they live with you." Laughing she looked at Fate, "I mean right Fate, how she could she have missed the two of them crushing on each other for the past eight years?"

Fate blinked and shook her head, "Wait, what the hell?"

Arf realized then she was dealing with not one but two dense parents and she'd need to handle this in private if she didn't want them to cause a scene and ruin everything. Jumping on her cousin and slapping her hand over her mouth before smiling sheepishly at the few guests who had turned at the outburst. She laughed unconvincingly and waved, and then grabbing both oblivious parents she dragged them into the beach house. She settled them both in the study and looked at the perplexed parents, "Seriously? Neither of you figured this out before today?"

~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~

A/N: Whoo! NanoFate now know the truth, even if they are like the last to know. We get more family responses to EinVi in the next chapter. Please review, feedback is always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Apologies to all my readers for slacking off on my writing. My only excuse is having two jobs has worn me down a bit more than I thought it would. My prior spurt of writing was done while I was on sick leave and had nothing but my wonky imagination to keep me occupied. I promise I have not abandoned this story and will complete it. There is more in the pipeline, hopefully it won't be three months before I have time to edit and upload it for your enjoyment.

Disclaimer: Once again I am forced to admit I don't own anything…in the MGLN universe. I do have three cats if anyone wants one.

Chapter Four

Arf called in Lindy and Precia from the party into the study to confirm she wasn't the only one who had known and assumed that Fate and Nanoha had known what was going on between their daughters.

Precia was shocked that neither woman had realized what was right in front of them for years. Pointing out all the little and not so little indicators that should have made the parents realize what was growing between the girls.

"Fate, why in the world would the girls prefer each other as escorts to industry events, than say…one of those fancy young men or women always sniffing around them? I admit Einhart has been trying to distance herself from Vivio as of late but whenever they are in the same room they naturally gravitate towards each other. They're like a mini version of you and Nanoha."

Lindy pointed out, "Fate, Nanoha, really how could you not see the signs? Especially with Einhart, the girl has been territorial over Vivio since they were kids. She absolutely wouldn't let anyone get closer to Vivio than her. How many times have you heard her call Vivio _Hers?_"

Fate rubbed her head, "But they're sisters. I mean yes they've always been close but, In Love?"

Nanoha was silent as she thought about the girls and finally declared to Fate, "No, they're not. Yes, we raised them together but they have always recognized that they are not actually related by blood. They were friends first then sisters by marriage but from the first time they met they had a close bond. They clicked together like we did. It happened at a much younger age than us but I know I would have fallen in love with you no matter what age we met, six, nine, thirteen, or as it happened sixteen. It was you from day one."

Fate twitched a smile at that thought then it faded as she sighed, "Who else has _known_ and failed to point out this obvious fact to us?"

Arf blushed, "Pretty much everyone in the family. Caro figured it out on her own two years ago and spoke to me about it and I laughed at how dense she was. The boys have known for at least five years, you know Alex liked Einhart but she didn't even realize he was hitting on her. Then he realized that was because she was too intent on concentrating on Vivio and protecting her from Ruff's dastardly attentions."

Lindy shook her head, "I know Hayate has made comments about their closeness to you. Surely that should have tipped you off. She made the same teasing comments about you two before you got together so…why didn't you connect the dots?"

Nanoha pressed her eyes with her hand trying to ward off the headache she could feel building. "So I take it, no one in the family thinks this is unnatural or that they should be separated."

Precia's eyes flashed in anger, "My grandbaby's happiness is my only concern. If Vivio is what she wants then whoever tries to separate them will have to get through me first. Damn it Nanoha, if someone tried to separate you from Fate or tried to make you feel guilty about being with her how would you feel?"

The auburn haired woman's head shot up and she seemed to emanate a raging aura, "No one gets between me and Fate."

Lindy patted her shoulder in an attempt to calm her, "That's Precia's point Nanoha. They love each other as strongly as you and Fate do. To separate them would be a crime. This past year with Einhart moving out and distancing herself from Vivio you both could see something was wrong surely, both of them being more moody."

Fate and Nanoha looked at each other and leaned into each other. Their eyes communicating, 'Okay, so they're in love, now what do we do?'

~"~"~"~"~"~

It was at the engagement party that Erio introduced his childhood friend and voice actress Lutecia Alpine to the Testarossa family. The purple haired girl immediately felt an attraction to Einhart who seemed to the most perfect woman she'd ever met. She spent most of the night trying to hit on the young woman but either she was oblivious or she was honestly uninterested and was trying to brush her off without being rude. The burgundy eyed girl wasn't ready to admit defeat and immediately went to Erio and demanded a part in his new project. She would do anything to make more time with the beautiful green haired girl.

Einhart wasn't oblivious and she had felt a small pull towards the young woman's beautiful burgundy eyes reminiscent of Fate's soulful eyes and to an extent Vivio's one sparkling red iris. They attracted Einhart but she couldn't find it in herself to seriously contemplate dating the young woman, let alone falling in love, no matter how hard she tried. Other than her bewitching eyes everything else about the older girl made her feel uncomfortable. The feel of her skin while soft and smooth didn't entice her. Her scent while sweet was not alluring. Her face and body aesthetically pleasing did not make her yearn to touch or taste. No, Lutecia would not be the one to displace Vivio in her heart.

Einhart turned from the woman and took in the huddled form of her sister. She was asleep with her head on her arms at one of the tables, the crumpled form made her heart ache. 'Damn,' she thought angrily to herself, 'Why is that fool sleeping out in the open like that?' Then she realized she wasn't asleep so much as she was passed out, 'What was she thinking drinking so heavily? Vi, my love you know you're a lightweight and can't handle your drink.'

Einhart excused herself from the group and collected her sister. The intoxicated Vivio blurrily took in her sister and latched onto her mumbling apologies. Einhart wasn't quite sure why Vivio was apologizing. Once she had her settled in the spare bedroom of the beach house to sleep off the drink it was a thick tongued Vivio who held her arm briefly and said, "I love you Einhart."

Einhart felt her heart lurch in hope then plummet when rational thought came back to her, she meant _sisterly love_. Ducking her head she placed a small kiss on the blonde's forehead, "I love you too Vivio. More than anything, now go to sleep."

From the deck across from the rather touching scene of sisterly affection a yellow eyed stare followed the pair into the house. 'Interesting, Lutecia my sweet flower, have you stumbled onto little Stratos' weakness? Truly, Einhart has never shown interest in _any_ male. Then there's the fact Lutecia is a master in recognizing those who lean toward an alternative lifestyle. It appears My first assumption of Erio being her romantic interest was flawed but now that I know where the wind blows I can bring out the proper bait to entrap little Miss Perfect.' His smile at these thoughts was feral.

Einhart shivered as she shut the door to the spare bedroom, but a small warmth lingered. Heaven was still smiling on her; the demon who hunted her still hadn't realized her greatest weakness.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Sitting at a work table in the Mondial Arts Office the next day Einhart was finishing clay sculptures that would be used by the CGI artists as a reference in making the 3-D models. She never liked people watching her work especially when it was with clay as she had a tendency to get clay all over herself in her absorption in the work. So when Lutecia came in she tensed. Pushing a lock of hair out of her face leaving a streak of clay on her forehead and hair as she tried to collect herself, "Hello Lutecia, Erio isn't here today."

The purple haired woman smirked, "I know, I came looking for you. And I asked you to call me Lulu, a _friend_ would respect that. So my sweet little buddy would you like to go out for lunch?"

Lutecia couldn't help the smirk flicking onto her face; Einhart was so very cute, especially covered in clay like a small child. She picked up a towel and ran it under a sink to moisten it before coming over to Einhart. Taking her face in her hand so she would look at her before wiping the clay streaks on her face, Einhart trembled at the look of lust in the older girl's eyes. Lutecia felt her tremble, in a teasing tone she said saucily, "I don't bite Ein, well I might if you want me too."

Einhart blushed and pulled away. Grabbing the towel from the older girl's hands and wiped her face then began to pick at the cloth with her hands in a nervous gesture. "I am not that hungry, thanks for the offer but I have a lot of work to do."

"God, you are so cute Ein. I could just eat you up," Lutecia said with a purr in her voice.

Standing and moving away with eyes wide, "Lutecia, I'm sorry but I just don't see you in a romantic way, I'm already in love with someone. So please stop this, I'd like it if we could be friends but if you keep this up I'll refuse to be alone with you," the desperation in Einhart's voice evident.

Lutecia was taken aback by the reaction to her advances, then realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with Einhart she resigned herself to disappointment. Releasing a groan of defeat, "Why is it all the good girls are already taken? Einhart if it doesn't work out please consider me, I really like you, not because of your name but you. I have never met anyone like you and I think we could be very good together. I'd do anything to make you happy."

Einhart saw the honestly in the other girl's eyes and smiling weakly, "Lutecia, if I could make a rational choice in who I fall in love with believe me you would be my first choice but my heart belongs to someone already and no matter how things turn out I will always love her."

Lutecia's eyes softened, "Sweetie, whoever she is she is a very lucky woman. I just hope she appreciates how wonderful you are. Sigh, now let me prove to you I am a good sport and let me take you out for a _friendly_ lunch. I can't promise to stop flirting with you but I won't push you for anything more than friendship. I really like you, you have my respect Ein, never let it be said Lulu is a stalker."

A weak laugh was given at this, "I think I can live with that, and as for lunch, I'd be happy to join you… Lulu," then reached out her right hand for a handshake which was promptly taken. Both girls smiled, "Friends."

~"~"~"~"~"~"~

Jail was standing in the hall where the newly resurrected annual Testarossa Halloween Masquerade Ball was going to be held that evening. He was in charge of setting up the venue and he looked over the checklist to make sure everything would be perfect. Despite his calm façade he was seething inside, the family wasn't disintegrating like he had planned. The fucking Jap was worse that Fate, completely wrapped up in her family and Fate. They were disgustingly loyal to each other. He choked back his gag reflex, how could they be so…so ugh mushily in love after fifteen years of marriage. Not a hint of a dalliance or betrayal.

No, he had to put that pair on his back burner and move on to a target he could take out. The biggest fish to fry would be Stratos. The best way to destroy Einhart Stratos would be to have her breakdown in public. He had hoped she'd prove to be a bitch and disavow the blonde but that hadn't happened. Still the public humiliation of her so-called sister hadn't appeared to have affected her all that much, what a cow.

Still his plan for the blonde to be discredited as a viable heiress had succeeded. Hell, no one in America would even want to see her in a film. She was now a joke and would be lucky to walk down a street without being pointed at like a sideshow freak. _But _the family had stood by her and appeared to be as close as before. The children hung on her like there was nothing wrong with being sisters with a whore's drug baby, but they were freaks so what did he expect.

'Einhart Stratos had to have a weakness,' he thought as he ran his hand over the grand stair case newel before beginning his ascent. 'But being the daughter of Alicia Testarossa and CJ Harlaown made her nearly royalty to the American Public. Her parents dying in their prime of life have been enshrined in the public conscious as near mythic figures, their love story, and their tragic death, all of it made great play. Then there was the fact Fate Testarossa had raised her and it was obvious that she is just as beautiful and talented as her aunt. Fuck, fuck, fuck, what to do?' Then he thought about how she seemed to be so close to Lutecia Alpine at the party. He rolled the idea around in his head again, could Einhart be more like her aunt then say her mother after all? Yes, all the evidence pointed to the girl being a secret dyke. She was nearly as masculine as Fate now that he thought on it, pantsuits…what truly feminine woman wore pantsuits? At least the Testarossa girl had good taste in women. And his dear Quattro was even lovelier than the rather emo-ish Lutecia. He smiled briefly, his lovely Quattro would enjoy this assignment, and she always did love to poach in Lulu's territory. Straightening himself again and deciding it was time to put his secret weapon into play. Snapping open his phone he sent a message. Then closing the screen he once more took in his domain, everything about the venue needed to be perfect. It would be the final stage for Einhart Stratos, after tonight she'd be nothing but a bad joke. Yes, once this pivotal domino fell all the others would come crashing down.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Vivio really did not like Lulu, she flirted with Einhart, practically hung off the girl and Einhart didn't even try to push her off but laughed. Now the little gate crasher was trying to run off with Einhart before the Testarossa masquerade was even set to start. The little strumpet was looking incredibly beautiful and sexy in her Parisian garb as she leant in to speak quietly so as to not to disturb the napping Sora. She had come early to see Einhart and Fate of all people in regards to something to do with that stupid project. The disgruntled blonde was sitting on the couch trying not to let her annoyance show, and failing.

Einhart grabbed her garment bag and makeup kit and was heading for the door. 'Damnation, if I ever get my hands on that sorry piece of…no concentrate, I just need to fix what's broken then I can spend the evening with Vivio, um my family.'

She wanted to be at the hotel and be the first to see Vivio in her kimono but needs must. A set of the sculptures she had completed had been damaged and they had to be fixed ASAP which was why both she and Fate were now heading to the studio. There was no way she'd be able to repair the damage alone in the time left. Giving a quick goodbye to her sisters and kissing Nanoha's cheek at the door the pair left the hotel.

Fate was driving and took quick peeks at her daughter, clearing her throat nervously, "So Ein, about that Lulu girl…"

Einhart looked at her mother and could see the stress lines around her eyes and mouth were more prominent than normal. 'Okay,' she thought, 'time for a very uncomfortable conversation.' Lulu thankfully was not with them and would not be meeting up with them again until the ball began. She had a suddenly hoisted upon her job at the event and had to go on immediately.

Sighing, "There's nothing going on romantically if that's what you're asking. She would like more but she's not really my type. She understands and has agreed to back off and we're friends now. Simple."

Fate knew this whole thing, talking about relationships was not her strong suit, this was Nanoha's department but Einhart was her daughter and she wanted to be proactive. She also wanted to know if she'd have to be dealing with a heartbroken Vivio soon. "Well, as long as you're sure. She's a nice girl after all and very pretty."

Einhart decided to unbalance her mother in hopes of making her drop the subject, "Oh? Should Nanoha-mama be concerned?"

Fate frowned at the barb, "Funny, you know when you really are in love it doesn't make you blind so much as it gives you blinders. You know there's more out there but all you can do is focus on what's in front of you. You're still young Einhart but I had already fallen in love with Nanoha by the time I was your age and was an idiot about the whole thing. If you are in love with someone you shouldn't hide the fact but embrace it."

The young woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "I can assure you mom I'm not in love with Lulu. If I was I'd have no hesitation in letting you know."

"Einhart, there is no shame in falling in love, no matter who it is, we will accept it. Man or Woman. Sometimes love can be staring you in the face for years…

The studio came up at that point and Einhart sighed a breath of relief. "We're here, can we drop my non-existent love life and concentrate on work. I'd hate for you to get in trouble with Nanoha-mama for being late to the party."

~"~"~"~"~"~

Vivio was grinding her teeth, she would kill Lulu and anyone else who dared touch her Einhart! How dare she run off with her with some half cock bullshit story. 'Oh I know exactly what's she up to, using this as an opportunity to get in Fate's good books. Slimy little no good…' Vivio jumped at the touch on her shoulder.

Looking up she saw her mother partially dressed in her Han Juban and susoyoke, she would be wearing a traditional kimono tonight as Fate loved to see her in such outfits. The worried look on her mother's face instantly made a flashflood of dread fill her, "Mama, is everything okay? Fate-mama and Ein?"

Her mother smiled at this and sat down, "They're fine love, and it's you I'm worried about. You've been sitting her for the past hour moping, you need to start getting ready."

Vivio looked at her watch and yelped, "Oh cripes! I'm sorry, I'll start now, don't worry I'll hurry."

The blonde dervish rushed into her room and began striping for her shower. Her mother followed her in and caught her shirt pulling it back down and pulled her daughter to the bed to sit down. Pulling the desk chair closer to the bed so she could sit eye level with her daughter she started what she knew was likely going to be an uncomfortable conversation.

Vivio squirmed in her seat as she felt the tension building. 'Shit what did I do this time? Was it me getting drunk and passing out last night? Oh I'm an embarrassment alright!'

With a gentle smile Nanoha spoke, "Vi-chan, you know I love you very much, right?"

'Well that's not what I expected.' Blinking dumbly for a moment then she found her tongue, "Of course mama, you have always made that clear. If you didn't love me you never would have adopted me in the first place."

"Right and you know no matter what, all I want for you is to be happy? I want you to find love and make a family for yourself."

Vivio blushed at this, picturing Einhart as her bride and making a home with her was her greatest desire at the moment but… "Mama, you know I'm looking, really but with everything that's come out recently I doubt I'll be high on anyone's date list."

Nanoha's eyes narrowed, "Baby girl you know that's not true. You are a very attractive person; your parentage won't be a factor if the other person isn't a shallow as… ahem jerk."

Vivio felt a bit indignant at this, it felt like Nanoha-mama was insulting Einhart. "Mama it's not that simple and you know it. The person I love will have to be a really strong person (which she is), I mean look at our family. Everyone seems to be alpha females and if we didn't all love and respect each other it could become World War III of egos. Now where am I going to find a woman strong enough to pass your inspection and overlook my parentage and not be intimidated by Fate-mama's legend?"

Nanoha looked at her daughter drily thinking, 'How about in the bedroom next to yours. Why are you being so difficult, who knew Fate's stubbornness could be transmitted without blood?' "Vivio, I suspect you are already in love with someone and are failing to mention who it is. I hope you will trust me enough to confide in me. If you need help I want to be there for you."

The blonde girl blushed scarlet, "Ma-mama, I…I…um well."

Suddenly another blonde entered the room fighting with her own kimono, "Mama, I can't get my obi to lay flat and Fia isn't being helpful."

The auburn haired girl followed on her heels, "I did too! It's not my fault you squirm too much. You have to stand still and hold your kimono closed properly."

Sighing, she looked back at Vivio, "We'll talk more later love."

Taking her youngest daughter in hand she led her out to fix what appeared to be a crumpled mess of fabric. Vivio scampered into the shower and trying to decide what she would say to her mother the next time they were alone. 'Oh dear, I am in so much trouble, they're all going to figure it out and then I'll be lucky to get a Christmas card from anyone.'

~"~"~"~"~"~

Einhart and Fate finished repairing the sculptures faster than she had expected and went into the communal shower to clean up. Seeing her mom naked wasn't that big of a deal after being raised in Japan with the public baths and hot springs they often frequented. The large communal shower that Erio had installed for his construction crews wasn't luxurious but it served their purpose. She couldn't help comparing her own body to her…aunt's body. How long had it been since she had thought of Alicia Testarossa as her mother? Really in her nearly twenty-three years of life she couldn't really ever remember thinking of Alicia as her mama, not like how Vivio saw Nanoha, not like she saw Fate on most days. On the days when she couldn't see her mom she saw the symbol, the icon that the world had made her. It was on those days she needed to prove herself more than anything, prove she was worthy of being this fantastic woman's daughter.

Einhart ducked her head under the shower spray once more and tried to wash away the feelings of inadequacy she had developed over the years. Her loving family had done all it could to prevent them from growing but there they were thanks largely to the myth of Fate and Alicia Testarossa which hung over her head. Who would she have been if Alicia hadn't died? Would there have been _real_ siblings? Would her parents now be divorced and not the romantic icon most people believed them to be?

But the real question that haunted her was why the hell had she joined the entertainment industry? She knew deep down she was just setting herself up for failure. She'd never be as good as Fate, Fate who Vivio idolized and loved.

Drying off and dressing in their formal wear, unlike the rest of the family Fate and Einhart would be wearing traditional Venetian Carnevale costumes. Both she and Fate we of similar heights and builds so had decided to mess with friends and family by wearing identical outfits and contacts to hid their eye color. Fate had a bet that their family would be able to identify them within seconds but that the other guests would likely spend most of the night trying to figure out who was who. Einhart had no doubt Nanoha would be able to tell them apart _if_ she didn't make an effort to imitate Fate's mannerisms and voice but she was going to do her best to confuse her second mother. It was going to be an interesting night to see if she could pull off the imitation of the century.

Walking in together just at the strike of eight the identically dressed harlequins caught everyone's attention, Nanoha walked up to the pair and looked them both over and immediately took both their arms to lead them over to the rest of the family. Her smirk when she leaned over to whisper in Einhart's ear was the first indication that the girl hadn't pulled off her imitation as well as she thought, "Nice try Ein-chan, but you are just a tad too stiff still. Fate moves more fluidly and there is no way I would ever be tricked into mistaking the love of my life with my daughter."

Einhart stiffened briefly, 'Daughter. That's right, Takamachi-Testarossa Nanoha was as much her mother as the blonde woman standing by her side and that made Takamachi-Testarossa Vivio her sister, even if her more wild daydreams had her carrying the Testarossa name for very different reasons. She'd destroy her family with her perversions, her mothers blaming themselves for not preventing this debacle.'

The roiling angst continued to boil in her stomach until her mind froze at the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. Vivio in her Kimono, her sleek thick blonde hair pulled up in the traditional knot at the back of her head with loose tendrils coming down the side of her face slightly curled. In her hands was a stylized mask of a Fox Maiden which matched the golden fabric of her kimono and lustrous hair.

'Oh god please save me, I want her.'

Vivio took in the matching Harlequins and despite Nanoha-mama's obvious attempt to throw off observers was able to also tell them apart. Perhaps it was because she watched both of them like a hawk since she was a child, but there was no way she'd ever confuse Fate and Einhart. She made her way over to the pair and hugged them both whispering her greetings in each one's ear.

Fate chuckled to herself, 'Well Vivio and Nanoha pegged us in seconds but what about the rest of the crowd?'

After the others in their group all proved they could differentiate between the two but playing down the internal revelation as to keep up the pretense with the rest of the guests. Fate and Einhart stayed on Nanoha's arms for most of the night but had to separate from time to time to go with various other guests. It was a laugh to see them both cock their heads in time and respond to questions with the same gestures in time with one another. Many noted it was like Alicia Testarossa was back from the dead with how in sync the two women were. Fate would have laughed at such a thought, Alicia had never been in sync with her, she had just been that good at impersonating her sister.

Jail watched the pair from the shadows and felt like they had purposefully put on this charade to undermine his plans. How was his agent supposed to get anywhere when she couldn't even identify her target? He could not tip his hand, he waved his agent back, possibly later in the night they'd get a chance but for now they'd bide their time.

Vivio was trying her best to stay out of the way, she knew her presence could be considered controversial at the least after the news article. Her mothers were working on finding a way to redefine how the American public saw her but it would be an uphill battle all the way. She was just picking up a glass of wine when a woman with a short bob of pink hair came up to her with a wide smile.

The girl's gleaming emerald eyes sparkled with excitement, as she burst out in a single breath, "Hi, I'm Miura Rinaldi. I'm a big fan of your work in Japan, I just had to come by and say this, I know your time in the U.S. has been less than stellar but believe when I say your real fans won't give a damn. You're a talented woman, no way have you been cashing in on either of your mothers' fame."

Vivio blinked at the enthusiasm and passion in the other woman's words and when the stranger blushed and started to apologize for her behavior it finally snapped Vivio out of her daze. Smiling warmly she laughed, "Please don't apologize, I was just a little shocked. I didn't think there would be anyone here who'd even seen any of my work let alone appreciated it. Thank you for your words, it means a lot."

Miura smiled again and then asked if they could talk about some of her work and what she had planned in the future. It wasn't long before the two were chatting like to old friends, Miura was a complete Takamachi fan, both of Vivio and Nanoha. Vivio made an offer to introduce her to her mother and the girl blushed scarlet, "Oh no. No, I don't want it said I was trying to use you to get to your mothers. Just meeting you is enough."

Einhart was watching this from across the room and wasn't liking the byplay one bit. She wanted more than anything to go over and separate the pink haired woman from her Vivio and put a large and perhaps neon bright sign on the girl that said 'Hands Off, Property of Einhart S. Testarossa-Harlaown.' Her preoccupation was about to give her away when Fate nudged her and whispered, "It's fine, she needs to make friends and know it's not just the family that supports her. This is a good thing."

Einhart scowled behind her mask, _was this a good thing?_ Swallowing her aggravation she then nodded and turned her back to the scene. She was a Testarossa, she had to keep up appearances, lusting and longing were what lesser mortals did over her.

Vivio liked Miura, she was funny and very kind hearted. She was almost as sweet as Einhart but with a warm quirky sense of humor versus Ein's rather dry wit. As they spoke in the corner the youngest Takamachi made her way over to the pair. Tugging on her kimono Sora yawning looked blurrily at her elder sister, "Vi-chan, mama said it's time to go."

Miura looked at the little girl and almost squealed at how cute the child was all drowsy and sweet. Vi felt a surge of sisterly pride at this; _yup my baby sister is adorable!_

"Sora-chan, let me introduce you to my new friend, this is Miura Rinaldi, she works for Testarossa Corp. and is a big fan of mama."

The little blonde blinked at this, "You mean Nanoha-mama? Not Fate-mama?"

Miura smiled, "I like them both but I really like your Nanoha-mama, she is an amazing actress and singer. My whole family has worked for Testarossa Corp for three generations so we all have a serious respect for your Fate-mama and Great-uncle Theodore. He was an amazing actor, such a pity he died so young."

"Uncle who?" the little girl asked confusedly.

Miura was shocked; didn't this child know who Theodore Testarossa was?

"Your Great-Uncle Theodore was you Fate-mama's uncle, your grandfather's elder brother who died while filming a movie. Shades of Yesterday is a cult classic of the action fantasy genre. His talent can only be compared with your Fate-mama's, he was the brightest star the family had produced prior to Fate Testarossa but died at nineteen."

Sora looked at her elder sister, "Have you ever seen any of these movies Vi-chan?"

Blushing, "No, Fate-mama doesn't like them. She says they make her feel uncomfortable. She would never allow them in the house. I was going to watch one with a friend but the films are really rare in Japan and we were never able to get a hold of one."

Miura was confused, why would Fate Testarossa want to avoid watching her uncle's films? Then her heart chilled, it was true. The rumors her mother and aunt would whisper about how the American Angels had been raised, been treated at the hands of their grandparents.

She decided to backpedal in hopes of not opening up a sore subject within the Testarossa household, "Well, his work is now rather dated. Not many people of our generation even know who he is, so it's not really that big a surprise. Um, it was nice meeting both of you, if you'll excuse me I need to make my own goodbyes to some friends."

Vivio watched the pink haired girl make her way over to a woman in what looked like school girl outfit, her half mask merely painted with a stylized pair of 'nerdy' glasses.

Sora yawned once again bring Vivio's attention back onto her. Scooping up the little girl and pulling her blue bird mask that hung limply from her grasp she held her close and picked her way through the thinning crowd back towards her family. It had been an enjoyable evening but for the lingering thought of an uncle she never knew. He would have been older than either of her surviving grandmothers but of age with her Takamachi grandfather. That man had never seemed young to her but had a powerful presence in her life. What would her Fate-mama's life been like if he had survived?

The words spoken so casually echoed in her mind, 'He was the brightest star the family had produced prior to Fate Testarossa but died at nineteen.' Fate herself nearly died at a similar age, would the world have forgotten her by now as it had her uncle? Seeing her family clustered together she snuggled the warm bundle in her arms tighter and felt Sora's small hands clutch at her kimono as she dozed safely in her sister's arms.

'Family…' Vivio thought, 'The Testarossa Family was such an enigma, the branches producing such varied fruit. Aunt Arf was never going to be a singer or actor but her abilities as a producer were first rate not to mention her stunning ability to run the vast conglomerate that Testarossa Corp had grown into. Caro who couldn't, as her fiancé said, carry a tune in a bucket singing was a wonder on the piano and as a composer. Einhart was fast becoming a master with clay, pen, and paintbrush, along with her obvious talents in singing, dancing and acting. She was what one wag called Fate 2.0, the next generation of greatness. Looking down at the girl in her arms, would Sora one day displace Einhart or would it be Einhart's own future son or daughter who would do that? Einhart…'

Smiling at her mothers and sisters Vivio joined the group as they made their way back to their SUV. Fate ever sober would drive her precious cargo back to the hotel, refusing as ever to ride in a Limo or to place her family's safety in anyone else's hands. The dark streets passed by hypnotizing Vivio into her own doze. Next to her Einhart sat worriedly, Vivio was so quiet, what had that girl done to her? They arrived and each mother took a sleeping child in their arms leaving the elder siblings a brief moment of solitude.

"Did you have a good time?" Einhart asked quietly.

Vivio looked over to her sister and smiled, "Mhm, I mean yes. I…enjoyed myself for the most part. I spoke with this girl and she told me some things about Fate-mama's uncle and it got me thinking."

Einhart blinked, "Her uncle? You mean Theodore?"

"Yeah, do you think her grandparents used him as a sort of prop, this is what we expect of you? She really hates talking about her immediate family. Think about it, Arf isn't really her cousin or our aunt for that matter. Other than her and Caro, who is her actual daughter, we don't have anything to do with the other Testarossa family lines. There are at least two or three more lines in Italy, that's where Arf came from. She doesn't even talk about her childhood or the family history; it's all the whitewashed stuff that's fed to the general public. The only time she opens up is when Nanoha-mama makes her."

Einhart knew more than Vivio, she had forced the conversation more than once with Fate because of the whispers she had come across. It was how she knew she had gotten lucky when Alicia Testarossa died and Fate was the one to survive. It was how she knew why Fate had nearly abandoned them all so many years ago. She could still remember Fate's cold eyes and tone when she reprimanded her for crying. It chilled her to this day that her beloved mother could turn into such a complete stranger.

Einhart warily replied, "The rest of the Testarossa family lines are actually um bastard lines, they really don't have the right to the name. Arf is the granddaughter of one of those lines and was semi adopted into the main line so she could hold the company in trust for Fate. My mother was actually cut out of the main inheritance by her grandfather since she wasn't talented enough. She wasn't actually suited to an acting career but was forced into it. Uncle Theodore or as he was known to the public TJ for Testarossa Junior, was an icon. And yes he was a stick held over Fate-mama's head. He is the reason why she never tries to rub in her own accomplishments in our faces."

Einhart shifted on her feet, "Look Vi, Fate has a very good reason for ignoring the past. Do us all a favor and forget about Theodore Testarossa, all four generations of that name. It's a dead name, and I for one will not be resurrecting it when I have my own children."

Vivio gaped a bit at this then nodded. Einhart's frown lightened, "Come on, it's late. We need to wash up and get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: No claim of ownership over the MGLN characters being made, just playing in this sandbox for fun. I make no money off this, though I do tend to make myself laugh.

A/N: I had most of this chapter already completed with the prior one I recently uploaded. Please do NOT expect another upload for at least another week or two. I do want to thank all the reviewers who have made me feel both happy and guilty regarding my writing. I promise to get back on a regular writing schedule soon, the 4th of July holiday weekend is a busy time for me but soon things should settle down.

~"~"~"~"~

Chapter Five

Morning dawned fair and bright with slices of sunbeams slanting through the half drawn shades. One particular beam hit Fate in the face as she snuggled closer to the warm body sharing the bed with her, groaning at the brightness she buried her head in sweet smelling auburn hair. The owner of said hair released a soft laugh at this movement, she had been awake for the past five minutes but had resolutely refused to move as Fate was draped over her in a most warmly and pleasing manner.

Naked flesh pressed together under the soft cloth of their bedclothes allowed the warmth to grow by a marked amount when Fate's hand began to wander from her bedmate's waist to her breast. Nanoha sighed and snuggled in closer in hopes of enticing the half asleep Fate to continue before the rest of the family woke and they were forced to separate for the day.

Fate's sleep muddled mind may not know what she was doing but every instinct Fate owned knew exactly what was wanted and wasn't about to disappoint her lover. Twenty minutes later the pair was fully awake and Nanoha especially was happy to be starting another day.

Dropping a kiss on Fate's forehead where it was resting against her chest, "Good morning love."

Fate lazily skimmed a hand up and down Nanoha's arm and smiled contentedly, "It is whenever I get to wake up with you in my arms."

Fate's content look became a frown as she thought about the dark cloud of discord hanging over her family. Fate, despite what many believed, was not a dumb blonde and knew someone was out to make her family look bad. Too many incidents which could have turned the American public against them had occurred too closely together. It made her think back to the time when all the conspiracy theories were being thrown out over her near fatal car accident.

If she had died Einhart would have gone to Chrono and Amy and Arf would have been forced out of her position as head of Testarossa Corp in favor of a distant cousin. The man was creepy as all get out, worked in the main office and made out as if he didn't know he was in line for inheritance. She absolutely refused to have anything to do with the man directly. His yellow eyes made her feel like a bird with broken wing and he was a hungry cat.

"Hey now what's with that gloomy face? Just one more week and we can go home. Hmmm, home where we don't have to worry about people spying on us or trying to make us look bad. Just baking in the morning and balancing the till at the end of the night."

Fate shifted and now hovering over her wife in a very enticing manner even if that wasn't her objective. "Nanoha, I don't think we are going to get away so easily. Whoever is behind these…I can't call them attacks, incidents, yes incidents. Whoever is doing this wants to see our family meltdown and is especially targeting Einhart. I lived with this kind of stress all my life, hundred times worse than what this person is sending our way but the girls, especially Einhart and Vivio they don't know how to handle it. Vi has already taken a massive blow to her self-confidence with the truth of her parentage coming out. If their feelings for each other gets exposed the wrong way it could destroy any chance of them getting together."

Brushing a hand through soft blonde locks, "Honey, do you really think this Jail person is behind this? I've heard you talking to Arf about him, but really? Yes, he has the most to gain, but he'd have to do more than discredit you and Einhart to gain control of Testarossa Corp. You fixed it so Arf's children will be in line to inherit before he does. Whoever is doing this hasn't moved against Arf or her boys."

Fate's brow furrowed at this, "That's what scares me the most, my family has been cursed it seems with fatal accidents. My uncle's death was never proven to be anything but an accident but my grandfather was convinced it was an assassination. One of the lesser Testarossa lines trying to end the main line so they could take over. It was the main reason why he stole Arf from the elder line; they had the best claim over inheritance if anything happened to my father before he had a male heir. The Testarossa wealth was originally meant to only go from father to son, or worst case scenario to a male cousin or nephew. When father failed to have a son grandfather began the process of changing the inheritance clauses, only the head of the family could name the next heir, not birth order or sex could change the lawfulness of the inheritance. It was how I was named the next head of house which I then wriggled out of and hoisted on Arf. But before I wriggled out I was more than heir presumptive, I was legally the majority owner of the company, it was just the clause in grandfather's Will which prevented me from taking full control until I turned thirty. With me dead and no named heir it would have fallen to the courts to determine who inherited. Jail could have rightly declared himself the rightful heir under the old inheritance rules. Me surviving and making Arf head of Testarossa House changed everything."

"So you _do_ think it's Jail who is causing all this trouble?" Nanoha asked again, confused as to what her wife was alluding too.

"I'm afraid Nanoha." The fear was there in her eyes, in the set of her face.

"Of what?"

"If Einhart and I are discredited, it really doesn't change the way the inheritance goes but it will go a long way to making sure we don't come back later if there was an inheritance dispute to claim the company. My uncle, elder sister, father, and brother-in-law all dead in accidents. What would people say if one more accident occurred and Arf and her boys were killed?"

Nanoha's heart chilled, "Oh my god, Fate you can't be serious?"

"I have been turning over everything in my head for the past two weeks and Arf agrees with me. She and the boys have all agreed to not drive anywhere together and to avoid being clustered together at events. Testarossa Corp has received bomb threats for years. One such threat could be used as a cover to take them all out and no one would look askance at Jail."

This was not the kind of post-coital conversation Nanoha was used to having with her wife but it was clear the warmth of their shared loved had given her normally stoic wife the courage to share her fears. Despite the morbidness of the situation she couldn't help but feel happy that Fate no longer kept her fears to herself.

"Well, Jail will find he has bitten off more than he can chew in coming after our family. He may know Testarossas but he has never had to deal with Takamachis and we don't take kindly to people trying to hurt our family. I think it's time we started to push back my love."

Fate couldn't help but smile at that, "Uh-oh, Is the White Devil coming out of retirement?"

Nanoha just smiled innocently then kissed her wife as she rolled Fate over onto her back.

~"~"~"~"~"~

There were six days left to the month long celebration of Lost Logia and the coup de grace was going to be a marathon for the spin off television show from the film which Fate and Akko and a few of the other character actors had made reoccurring guests appearances throughout its three seasons. The show had a huge following and was only cancelled after Fate's near fatal accident due to the ironic parallel of her character being severely injured in the next to last episode of the season, leaving it on a cliff hanger. The season finally actually had her character dying and was never shown on television as it was considered both in poor taste and bad luck since she was in a coma when it was scheduled to be aired but it was now to be shown for the first time on national television.

Most of the original cast of both the movie and show were to be seated in a panel and would discuss each episode and answer questions submitted to them by fans that had been randomly selected to attend the filming and submitted via email and tweet the previous week during the huge media frenzy put on by the Anniversary Committee. The cast had been requested to wear one of their old costumes and both Fate and Akko decided to wear their less revealing costume from the TV series. Seated with people she hadn't seen for nearly two decades Fate was finding the experience hilarious since many of them hadn't expected her to be so open with her opinions on the filming experience since she had been very reticent with the majority of the cast.

The surprise to everyone was many of the guest stars of the show were also coming on to join them on stage for the one or two episodes they were in to add in their own reminisces to the special event. For the third season Carim had a small part thanks to Fate and when she walked onto set everyone there tensed. It was no secret the two had a falling out over a decade ago over Carim's substance abuse and inability to provide their daughter with a stable environment. Fate had to have the girl removed from her custody and placed in a boarding school stateside since Caro refused to move to Japan.

Fate stared at the woman, she was thin and pale, she looked older than her nearly fifty years due to the hard living she had done. The beautiful young woman she had been was gone and only after repeated interventions instigated by Fate on Caro's behalf and put into effect by Arf had she cleaned up her act. The woman had deep-seated dependency issues and the men (and for a while women) in her life had taken advantage of her, stealing her wealth and destroying her career. When Carim walked onto set Fate felt a surge of exasperation when faced with the self pity and woe-be-gone aura around her old friend. Giving her a soft smile and head shake before standing up and hugging the woman in an effort to make her feel welcome but knowing she was likely just opening the gates for more drama in her life.

Nanoha saw with clear eyes now Fate's relationship with Carim, there was no need to feel jealousy for what Fate had once felt for the woman. Carim _could_ have had Fate but she had thrown away all her chances to stay with a man who abused her. Fate lived with abuse herself and they could have helped each other overcome the pain in their past but Carim had accepted her role as victim while Fate had chosen to be a survivor. So when the cameras panned over to see her response to the hug between her wife and _old flame_ she had a soft smile on her face reminiscent of Fate's before she greeted her old friend. As far as Nanoha was concerned Carim was no threat to her or her marriage. The woman's self destructive behavior had destroyed any of Fate's lingering affection for the woman. Fate would never tie herself to a woman who would expose a child to illegal narcotics or physical abuse. Now all Carim could expect from Fate was a reluctant acquaintance if only because Caro was their daughter and the girl refused to cut ties with her birth mother. This hug was her being professional and trying to make a former co-star feel welcome to an event they all had the honor to be invited too.

After the filming was done for the day Nanoha went back to Fate's dressing room to meet her wife so they could join the Sanders for dinner. When she entered the room Carim was in the room and she was trying to throw herself at Fate once again. Nanoha rubbed her forehead and counted to ten before stepping forward and catching the interloper's arm and dragging her out of the room and without a word pushed her out and closed the door firmly in her face. Nanoha wasn't really even angry but frustrated over the woman's complete lack of sense. Did she really think ambushing Fate would do her any good?

"Thank you Nanoha, I really didn't want to put my hands on her, god only knows what would have happened if I did. I'm sorry now I hugged her earlier, if I had just kept myself reserved she wouldn't have tried this again," Fate apologized as she hugged her wife from behind.

Leaning back into the embrace, "No Fate-chan you did the right thing, if you hadn't made it clear you accepted her as a cast member she probably would have been shunned by everyone and that would have left a black mark on the event. You were being professional and she is so deluded by now that she thinks any sign of affection is a declaration of love. I'm just glad she didn't screw up Caro's self image and definition of love with her stupidity, I would never forgive that."

Fate snuggled into Nanoha's neck, "Well Caro did have you and Arf as role models too, and I know she is also a lot like me deep down. I'm happy she and Erio are together, but I'm really not ready to believe my daughter is getting married."

Nanoha squeezed the arms wrapped around her, "Think of it as practice for when Einhart and Vivio finally decide to settle down."

"Do you really think they'll end up married? There is so much ugliness in the world that's going to be targeting them. Are they in love with each other enough to survive that?" Fate asked with a hint of concern.

Nanoha turned to look at her wife and best friend, "Fate-chan, if circumstances had somehow made us _sisters_ when we children it would not have stopped me from falling in love with you. We, like them, do not share a drop of blood and the more I watch them and think about it the more their bond seems to be like ours. At first when they were children Vivio wanted Einhart as a sister because she was too young to understand what she was feeling. But the fact that neither of our daughters have had a serious relationship or even done more than have a casual date for a work function shows they are both at least unconsciously being faithful to each other."

"But if they really are in love with each other why haven't they done more to try to get together? They should have just come out with it a long time ago." Fate asked, sure she had run like an idiot but she thought Einhart would have learned from her mistakes.

"Fate-chan, remember how wrapped you were with popular perception? _Oh no, I can't be with you because it would be a disappointment to my family and fans. _Blah! I should have just jumped you in front of a crowd and chased you if you tried to run away." Nanoha said in frustration.

Fate's shoulders sagged, "I know I was an idiot but that's my point, we have always told the girls that we would support them no matter who they fell in love with, man or woman, race, creed, none of that stuff mattered as long as they both truly loved one another. We made a point to tell them not to run away from love but to embrace it with both hands. God, when I think I could have died and never had a chance with you, a family, a real home, it makes me sick with fear. I never wanted my girls to feel ashamed or fearful, where did I go wrong in explaining how important grasping love is?"

Turning Nanoha cupped her Fate's face with her hands, kissed her then said, "You didn't, the world is at fault here and I think that at some point we are going to have to step in and help them. I don't like the way things are going. Einhart apparently has your amazing ability to avoid people and circumstances when she puts her mind to it."

"I'm never going to live down being a coward am I?" Fate stated with a sigh. "Who knew Testarossas were cowards at love? No wonder we always went with arranged marriages before, chicken livers every one of us."

Smiling fondly Nanoha shook her head and pulled her wife into a tight hug, "You are not a coward, if someone tried to steal me away from you what would you do?"

Fate growled causing Nanoha to shiver in unanticipated arousal, "I would thrash them and scoop you up and run to the nearest bedroom and remind you why you belong with me!"

"Nyahaha! See, not a coward! If you were a coward you would immediately back down and assume this someone else was better for me and run away tail between your legs." Nanoha's soft smiling lips then captured Fate's in a satisfyingly long kiss.

Breaking the kiss for air Fate's eyes now glazed with arousal, "Umm, as if I would ever let you go after knowing how wonderful it is to be with you. I will never let you go. I love you Nanoha, from the first day we met and until the day I die. You are my everything. Even if you tried to push me away now, I'd do everything in my power to prove I am the best for you."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow at her wife. "Using my own words against me now?" she asked teasingly as she felt herself being pressed into a wall by her taller wife's frame.

"It seems appropriate. You taught me what it means to be happy, given me unconditional love and are the center of my universe. Now enough with the talking, more kissing," Fate demanded ducking her head for another searing kiss.

~"~"~"~"~

Vivio had decided to get away from her family to think, leaving a note and packing small bag she rented a car and drove the six hours to San Francisco. She was now standing on a pier looking at Alcatraz and wondering when her life had started to be so fucked up. _I'm in love with my sister. Well truthfully Einhart isn't really my sister, we were raised together but I'm adopted, I share zero genetics with the Testarossas or Harlaowns. _

She wasn't even a real Takamachi, her earliest memories were a jumble of pain and neglect. That had all changed the moment Nanoha had come into her life. Then when Fate and Einhart entered her life it seemed like all her dreams was coming true. She had two loving parents, and a sister who was the sweetest and most intelligent and talented person she had ever met.

Vivio frowned, when had she stopped seeing Einhart as her sister and as just hers. They had still been in school, fifteen or sixteen maybe? She remembered how jealous she had become when it seemed like the entire student body had begun to worship Einhart, love letters and gifts left in her shoe locker. Sure she had her share of the same treatment but she was never interested in that stuff. Truthfully she never would have gone into the entertainment industry if Einhart hadn't been so insistent about following in Fate's footsteps. Vivio at heart was actually shy and felt awkward in the spotlight but compensated with brashness and silliness. All she really wanted was to be at Einhart's side, to have those beautiful dark heterochromatic eyes looking only at her.

Fog and sharp costal winds finally drove Vivio inside a small café where she sat staring into a cup of overpriced coffee and trying again to decide how to fix the situation she was in. _Hell what was the exact situation? Einhart won't even stay in the same room with me alone. What the fuck was that about? We've shared a bedroom and most of the time a bed since we were six, have bathed together hundreds of times, shared every secret and had always depended on each other. But then a year ago Einhart suddenly announced she was moving out and started flaking out of meeting up with me. _

_It was like Einhart had realized what I was feeling and was trying to avoid confrontation. But hell,_ Vivio thought, _I just barely realized I am in love with her, did she figure out what my behavior meant before me and now thinks I'm disgusting which is why she is now avoiding me? Well it is a bit gross, I mean come on, to have the person you were raised with to suddenly fall in love with you and lust after you must be pretty awful. Shit! That's what I was doing,_ Vivio let her head thump on the table and contemplated slamming it there a few times but thought better of making a scene.

_How often did I make her uncomfortable with my staring? How many times did I throw a tantrum when she went out with others and left me behind, as if all her time and attention belonged to me? When did the snuggling in bed go from comforting to me trying to claim ownership over her? Why didn't I realize before now that I have been acting like some kind of sick deviant towards my sister, we are suppose to best friends but I'm just a freak._

~"~"~"~"~"~

Meanwhile back in LA

Einhart read the note left on her bed when she returned to the hotel to change after a day at Mondial Arts Studio. Vivio was gone.

Pacing back and forth in the living room Einhart was berating herself for ignoring Vivio all this time, she had promised to spend more time with her sister. She had to if she was ever going to get over these inappropriate feelings. _I just need to inoculate myself to Vivio's charms by spending more time with her, yeah right_, she thought_. If that worked then I never would have fallen in love with her in the first place. _

Einhart closed her eyes and rubbed her temples that were throbbing with stress, _fuck I am such an idiot. Vivio depends on me to be her support, her best friend. I know the real her under all that brashness, I'm the only person she trusts with her real self. Vivio is still the same scared little girl who is scared of being abandoned by those she loves and I am fulfilling all her worst nightmares with my behavior. If I really love her I should be able to just stop feeling lust for her and be there for her like when we were kids. But gods she is so beautiful and feels so good to hold and the way she smells it makes me want to…okay Einhart stop this train of thought right now!_

The clicking of the suite's door opening made Einhart's eyes snap open in desperate hope. Then she sagged in disappointment, it was just her mothers. Nanoha looked at her and sighed, it really was time for an intervention. Sapphire eyes flicked from Fate to Einhart and seemed to signal that now was the time to have The Talk. Fate sighed and nodded, _why were her children so dense? _ Then a snarky voice in her head that sounded like Arf said to her, _the apple never falls far from the tree._

"Hey sweet pea, what's wrong? You look stressed out, we are supposed to be on vacation." Fate asked gently hoping her daughter would finally admit to what everyone else had already knew.

Einhart looked on the verge of tears for a moment then in customary Testarossa fashion swallowed her emotions and pretended nothing was wrong. Fate wanted to bang her head on a wall when her daughter said, "Nothing, just a bit tired from the office."

The note clutched in her hand became just a bit more crumpled as she clenched her fists. Then she smiled wanly, "You know how it is mom, voice acting can be pretty exhausting when you have to project so much emotion with nothing but a script and a prayer that you aren't going to ruin everything by being over the top."

Fate frowned at this misdirection. "Einhart, sit down. We need to talk and since it appears you are more a Testarossa than a Harlaown this maybe a bit overwhelming but believe me when I say it will help." Fate said in a firm but gentle tone, there was no way was she letting her get away.

Einhart gulped and sat down on the couch. Looking down at her hands and trying to think of what she might have done to make her normally relaxed mother so serious.

"Einhart, I am going to get straight to the point, and I want you to be honest with me. Please be honest and know no matter what your answer is I love you and nothing will ever change that fact."

The green haired girl nodded but didn't look up.

"Sweet Pea, Einhart Stratos Testarossa-Harlaown, are you in love with Vivio?"

Einhart's eyes bulged and she looked up at her mother, "Ahh, how…ah."

Then the girl shot up and ran into her room locking the door.

Fate looked at her wife, "That could have gone better but that just confirms the situation, get me a screw driver I need to break into that room and I'd prefer not to have to buy the hotel a new one."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow, "You could try knocking first you know. It's a bit early to be bringing in drama by breaking down doors."

Even as she said this she went for the screw driver, Testarossa girls trended to lean towards drama every chance they got.

Fate knocked on the door of Einhart's room, "Einhart open this door please, I'm not angry at you, and I most definitely am not disgusted so please open the door."

Nothing but the soft sounds of sobs could be heard from behind the door. Sighing Fate knelt and began the tedious job of dismantling the door lock. Five minutes later Fate pushed the door open and found her daughter curled into a ball crying her eyes out into a pillow. It hurt to see, this was not how she saw the discussion starting but best laid plans and all that.

Sitting on the edge of the bed Fate pulled Einhart onto her lap, cradling the girl much like she had done in the past to sooth her small hurts as a child. The girl stiffened before trying to pull away. "NO! I'm a freak, a monster. I shouldn't feel the way I do about Vivio, it's so wrong that people will think of me as an abomination."

Fate listened to this rant and started to laugh, she couldn't help it, the girl sounded like her twenty years ago. She pulled the girl into a tighter embrace and kissed the top of her head, "My god you really are my daughter. That had to be the most angsty thing of heard since I was your age. You really are so much like me it's scaring me right now."

Einhart stopped struggling at these words and looked up at her mother, _what the hell? Why isn't she yelling and calling me a freak. There is no way she approves of this unnaturalness._

Fate smiled at the tear streaked face looking up at her, "You aren't related to Vivio Ein-chan, you aren't sisters like Fia and Sora. We became a family because of love, the love I have for you makes you my daughter just as much as Fia who came from my own womb. I haven't thought of you as my sister's daughter since the car accident. You are my daughter because I love you like a daughter. I love Vivio the same way. My love for Nanoha lead to us marrying and making Vivio your sister by marriage. When you two met the first time it was obvious there was an immediate bond between you. You loved her like a friend then gradually as a sister, that love caused you to grow closer but your heart also knew that it was okay to love her even more than a sister. Baby girl, do you think something as silly as being related by marriage would have stopped Nanoha and me from getting together?"

Einhart frowned at this at first then she looked at her mother incredulously, "You think its okay? You accept this?"

"Einhart, I want you to be happy. Vivio has always been the one person who could make you happy when you were sad or upset. When that little girl came into our lives she changed everything, she captured both our hearts with that little smile of hers and her open loving nature. I told you both time and again, love, real love, is nothing to be ashamed of, grasp it with both hands and never let it go."

Einhart hugged her mother and cried, cried for her stupidity in thinking that she'd be rejected by her family, cried in relief that she didn't have to hide her feelings anymore. Then cried because despite having her mothers support she now had no excuse keeping her from admitting her feeling to Vivio and she was scared of what Vivio's reaction would be.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Vivio was walking down a pier; it was late and she had gotten turned around in the dark and foggy atmosphere. God who could possibly find this appealing? The atmosphere just added to her gloomy feelings and made her wish she could just disappear into the fog and never emerge again. Never having to face the eventual rejection she would receive when she finally broke down and admitted to what she was feeling for Einhart.

She turned back up the pier back to the ghostly flickering lights and what she hoped was the tourist traps near the famous Pier 39 when she felt another presence. The little hairs on the back of her neck suddenly raised then a hand caught her around the neck and a hard object was pressed into her back.

"Hey there girly, how about we have a little fun huh? You were looking mighty lonesome and I _know_ I can show you a good time." The voice sounded drunk or maybe high and a loathsome smell seemed to emanate from the lumpy body now pressed to her back.

Vivio's first thought was, _well this fucking sucks, my day is just getting better and better. _Then she shook her self mentally, _no Vi this is no time to slip into a funk, no matter what I have to get back to the family and preferable not after some gross slime has raped me._

Years of training with Fate and the various martial arts tutors hired to make her one of Japan's best female action stars were not going to go to waste. Nor was the fact that she was a consummate actor who could _play_ the scared victim. _Just you wait scum I'm going to make you regret ever being born._

She shrunk herself down and whimpered convincingly and allowed the man to push her through a gap in some railing then lead her down a rocky embankment. They had gotten to a sheltered spot where some brush was growing and he pushed her forward and in his slurring voice, "Okay girly strip, and make it quick."

She turned and saw the hulking figure was now rubbing itself, the unknown weapon that had been pressed to her back invisible in the gloom. She reached up to begin unzipping her jacket and heard the slimy creep chuckle and speed up his fondling. _Nope I'm not going any further than this, I am going to kick his teeth in, crush his balls and break every finger he has. This disgusting piece of filth is never going to touch another woman._

She pulled her jacket off and threw it at her would be attackers face before shifting her stance to the left barely in time to avoid the firing of a gun. _Well that just upped the ante, try and shoot me will you?_ She let fly with a kick to his out stretched arm holding the gun.There was the clacker of the gun hitting the rocky terrain and she grinned. _Now it's payback time shithead._

When the police arrived ten minutes later the would-be rapist was a bloody pulp and restrained with his own zip ties that had been in his oversized jacket. Tourists walking in the area had heard the gun shot and the groans of someone being beaten, thankfully the creep hadn't been able to land a punch on Vivio and all said groans had come from him. The next few hours were spent in a police station having to give a statement submitting to physical examination and receiving medical treatment for her bruised and abraded knuckles. It was after dawn when she was finally released from police custody and dropped off at her rental car by a friendly female officer.

Vivio was far too tired to drive back to Los Angeles and she really, really wanted a shower. She drove to the nearest motel that looked decent and checked in. After a hot shower and pulling on a pair of panties and tee shirt she fell onto the bed and fell asleep. Her last thoughts, _well things really should only improve from here right?_

~"~"~"~"~"~

Vivio awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. It was _only_ the tenth time the phone had gone off but her exhausted body had slept through the other calls. Reaching around for the phone she felt for the vibrating and annoyingly upbeat ringing device. She only realized how close to the edge of the bed she had gotten when she overbalanced herself and felt in a heap of blankets and sheets on the floor just as the ringing stopped. Groaning she pushed herself up and pulled the bedclothes off her head, she then saw the annoying contraption on the bedside table. It sat just out of reach for her if she was laying in bed but now quite within reach and obviously it was silently begging to be thrown against the wall.

Mumbling curse words her mothers would have been surprised she even knew she grabbed the device and punched in her security code and groaned. Ten missed calls two each from her mothers and six from Einhart. The last call had been her sister. Then there was the text messages, thirty-seven of them, how the hell had she slept through all those alerts she had no clue. She began to scroll through the messages and felt like a heel. Her family was frantic with worry and she hadn't even thought to call them or even sending a simple text message to let them know where she was.

She immediately dialed Einhart's cell and within one ring the phone was answered, "Vi! Where are you, are you okay?"

Vivio winched at the obvious distress in her sister's voice, _damn I'm an idiot, I worried her so much and now I have to tell her what happened last night and she'll freak._ "I'm still in San Francisco, had a bit of trouble last night and it ended up being too late to drive back."

Einhart sighed, she at least sounded okay. The fucking news had the police releasing a statement that the serial rapist/murderer in San Francisco had been captured the night before while attempting to attack another woman and he was now in custody. The special bulletin announced the high profile case had finally come to a satisfying conclusion. No mention was made of who the woman was or what her condition was and that had been infuriating. The media's talking heads stating the killer had a taste for blondes had just worsened Einhart's fears throughout the late evening and into morning.

Ein didn't know why she thought Vivio was involved but it felt like something _her_ idiot blonde would stumble into and then forget to contact her family to let them know she was okay. Then once she confirmed it had been Vivio she had been ready to vomit then commit murder. Goddamn Vivio, running off like an idiot by herself.

"When you say a bit a trouble you mean a fucking serial rapist/murderer nearly killed you. Goddamn it Vivio, did you even think about your family? What the hell were you doing down at those piers at night, alone of all things. Fuck I'm going to strangle you, do you have any idea how worried I've been. The goddamn news reports have been useless."

"How'd you figure it out then?" Vivio asked in a small voice.

"I eventually called the precinct in charge and bullied the information out of them, but the bastards didn't know where you went after they dropped you off at your car. I am catching a flight to San Francisco in twenty minutes. I'm actually at the airport now. Tell me where you are staying and I'll be there in two and half hours." The tone Einhart was using clearly stated, don't jerk me around, tell me or there will be ugly consequences.

Vivio didn't have a clue where she was, she had pulled off the highway at the first half decent looking place and checked in. "Um, can you hold on a sec and I'll get you the address."

A few moments of scuffling about the room found a placard with the motel's information and then it was being read off to an aggravated Einhart. The green haired girl growled, "Don't you dare leave that motel, I don't care if its fucking burning to the ground you stay in the damn parking lot, understand me!"

Vivio cowered into herself at the tone, she hated when Einhart was angry with her, "Yes ma'am. Do you want me to order you anything to eat?" she asked this inanely in hopes of placating her sister.

There was no response to the idiot question just a click. Vivio could only be thankful you couldn't slam a cell phone off because right now seemed like a moment where her sister might just do it then call back and do it again.

~"~"~"~"~"~

The previous evening LA

Einhart thought Vivio would be back that evening or maybe late that night, the note indicated she had really just wanted to drive and see some sights then return to the family hotel suites. The later it got the more frustrated Einhart got. At midnight she made her first call but the phone went to voicemail. She then tried a text message requesting at least a message back to let her know when she'd be back. A restless Einhart then tried to sleep but couldn't, she felt on edge and tossed and turned in bed staring at her quiet cell phone resting on her bedside table. Finally an hour before dawn broke and no Vivio or message came she got her mothers to each try and contact the wayward blonde.

When no response came an hour later Einhart began calling hospitals and searched the news for any reports of a blonde being involved in any kind of altercation. Fate and Nanoha were worried too as were Fia and Sora but no one was more concerned than Einhart. The report of the serial killer being captured made everyone feel ill and nothing stopped the frantic young woman from browbeating some poor officer into releasing the name of the would-be-victim. Once that was ascertained she then went on to demand her condition and the officer who drove Vivio to her car came on the line and tried to reassure her that her sister was okay, probably on her way home now.

Einhart booked a flight to San Francisco shortly after cursing out the thrice damned officer and hanging up. She knew she was being irrational and a bitch but this was Vivio, she had waited patiently for her to come back so she could finally get her deep dark secret out in the open and what happens? A fucking rapist tries to assault and kill the love of her life and does said love report in to confirm she was okay and was on her way back? No, she had to fall off the face of the Earth and leave Einhart feeling helpless and completely useless.

It was only after her sixth call and the thirty text messages sent nearly ten minutes apart, each becoming increasingly demanding and virulent that she finally got a response. If Einhart hadn't been so angry at the time she would have fainted in relief at the sound of Vivio's voice but the fury of nearly loosing the blonde due to said blonde's stupidity in going out late at night alone had kept her bolstered.

Now sitting in the airport with thousands of other travelers and at least part of her worries relieved she felt the bigger fear reassert itself. Would Vivio accept her? Would beautiful, vivacious, gentle hearted Vivio want her? Einhart S. Testarossa-Harlaown was just a name, an idol like her mother and aunt. Until Fate met Nanoha she had been little more than an automaton going through the motions. Was Einhart to be saved from such an existent or would she be fated to be just another cog in the Testarossa machine for the rest of her life? Only Vivio had the ability to save her now faltering heart, it would be so easy to shut down all the churning emotions and just be a Testarossa.

~"~"~"~"~"~


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I find I am using more profanity than I have previously but I blame the fact on working with teens and college students again. The fact that Vivio and Einhart are of a similar age justifies the usage to me but I like to keep their usage in their heads for the most part. (That's where I curse the most.) I also think that's the only place the girls could get away with using that kind of language with Nanoha-mama around. I hope people are not too offended by having the normally sweet and innocent Einhart and Vivio using profanity but in moments of stress I find cursing is better than smacking the hell out of someone/thing.

Disclaimer: No ownership claims intended, MGLN and its characters do not belong to me, sigh.

~"~"~"~"~

Chapter Six

San Francisco

After the emotionally wrought conversation with Einhart the motel room's silence made it feel like a tomb. Vivio decided it was best to relieve her mothers' concerns and then see to making herself as presentable as possible. The phone was only allowed to ring twice before her blonde mama picked up the line with a breathless "Vivio."

The conversation with her mothers was awkward but at least they weren't threatening her with strangulation for her stupidity. In fact, neither seemed to blame her for wanting a few hours solitude to think without the pressures of family and her newly acquired infamy pressing down upon her. Both spoke to her briefly and asked repeatedly if she really was okay, love and concern coloring their voices. Then the younger girls came on the line and Vivio was again reminded of how important she was to the family and how scared she had made everyone. The tongue-lashing she had taken from Einhart was nothing to the earnest fear and relief that she could almost feel leaking from her phone with her little sisters' words.

It was only when Fia pointed out that as worried as they had all been it had been Einhart who had become a nervous wreck over the whole situation that Vivio truly got a clue how upset she had made Einhart. Fia warned her Einhart had been shaking with anger while taking to the police about what happened and had _even_ used profanity. A sure sign the girl was well beyond her breaking point since the mild mannered Einhart never cursed, it wasn't proper. The few times anyone had heard her use foul language it was usually related to a situation involving Vivio though not normally directed at the girl herself. The little auburn haired girl in a half teasing way (mostly to relieve herself of her own tension) warned Vivio that handling the upset Einhart when she arrived was going to be a hundred times worse than any serial killer.

It was at that point Fia's gallows humor was decidedly curtailed by the phone being taken away and Nanoha-mama came back on the line. She requested she be careful coming back to LA and to watch out for the hordes of media staked out in front of their hotel. Nanoha pointed out if, and this was a big if she and Einhart would have to decide together, if she wanted to spend a few more days away from LA they would understand. It would allow some of the frenzy to die down and allow the girls some time to reconnect after the traumatizing event. But also warned the longer she stayed away the more she should be prepared to be hugged to an inch of her life when she returned.

Hanging up Vivio felt a bit better about everything and looked about the room to determine what next she should do while she awaited her executioner… um sister. Looking down at her tee she could see it stuck to her uncomfortably as she had sweated horribly in the night from nightmares that she could not remember.

_Right, shower first._

Then her stomach growled menacingly. Thankful no one was around to hear that she sighed before muttering, "Alright troops up and at them, clean up then chow."

Vivio showered and once dressed she looked at the fast food flyers and looked for one that might deliver. Einhart might not be hungry when she arrived but Vivio felt famished. After ordering the food she sat on the edge of the bed to flip through the channels on the boxy TV sitting on the dresser.

Catching the tail end of a news cast about the arrest of the serial killer made her wince, _fuck me sideways, I am in so much trouble._

When the food arrived ten minutes later it was less than appetizing to a now stressed out Vivio but knowing she'd need all her strength to survive the coming confrontation she picked at the food sparingly.

~"~"~"~"~"~

LA

It had been around ten in the morning when the news services suddenly and spectacularly found out who the would-be victim of the San Francisco Pierside Ripper was. The fact that the visiting _adopted_ daughter of America's favorite icon was nearly brutally raped and killed was causing a feeding frenzy of speculation and demands for a comment from The Family. Arf had been informed of Vivio's current status and was fielding questions with a flurry of "No comments" as she worked her way through a crowd of reporters.

Arf was shaking her head and muttering to herself, "Like mother, like daughter. Damn blondes are going to be the death of me."

She was making her way through the hotel where Fate and the Nanoha were now currently under siege, bringing to mind the media frenzy after the Ru Lushe incident. Fate and company had had to brave the clamoring crowd twice already that day in their effort to get to the studio and then leave. The show must go on the hyperactive director had insisted, so she was still expected to come in for a scheduled interview which would be part of the behind the scenes bonus feature for the 25th anniversary film re-release. Fate in return pointed out with ill humor that the damn show can be cut short then proceeded to glare at the man menacingly. Fate had no compunction in giving to idiot director her most evil glares and it was amazing how quickly she was done on set.

After the interview the younger girls had been handed over to their grandmothers and were carried off to stay in a seldom used Testarossa property in Santa Barbara. Both understood the impromptu trip was due to the higher level of attention now on the family which might lead to the wackos coming out of the woodwork. Fate was not about to risk any of her children, better they spend a few days away from the media storm. The last thing she wanted was one of the girls being snatched or hurt as they fought through the heaving crowds.

Knocking on the door Arf was quickly allowed entrance and the elder Testarossa women fell into a conclave to determine just how the family was going to handle this new media circus developing around Vivio. In the end they realized the matter was largely out of their hands as it was up to Vivio to determine how much she wanted to share about the night's events. They could only give a brief statement about their thankfulness that she had been able to walk away unscathed and that the killer would soon be facing justice. The perk of the situation was many people were mentioning how very _Testarossa_ the girl was. Facing down a killer and bring him to justice was a scenario straight out of one of Fate's early films.

When Arf asked when Vivio could be expected back in LA the mothers looked at one another with faint smiles. Arf took note of this and asked, "Okay, I'll bite. What has you two smirking like that?"

Nanoha an in faux innocent tone merely said, "We sent Einhart to fetch her back over eight hours ago. We haven't heard a thing from either of them since Vivio's initial call to let us know she was alright and would be waiting for Einhart's arrival before they headed back together in her rental car."

Arf's brow knotted at this, "That's not the whole story. Go on."

Fate broke in awkwardly, knowing her wife would string this out for as long as possible just to see how nosy Arf would become. Rubbing her neck to loosen the growing tension, "Before this whole killer situation blew up we confronted Einhart about her feelings. She admitted to us she loves Vivio and agreed to talk to her as soon as chance permitted. The fact she just got the scare of a lifetime I think, I hope, when they return they will be a couple."

Arf gave a rather canine grin at this, "Oh-ho, the timing on them becoming a couple couldn't be better. The positive feelings in the press right now for Vivio will make her look like a right Prince Charming for Einhart. Though in my mind Einhart has always been princelier, she does take after you."

Fate blushed at this while Nanoha giggled at her. She would never deny her Fate-chan was very princely and while both their elder daughters could pull off the princely air it was Einhart who seemed destined to pick up Fate's princely mantle.

Fate pouted a bit at the giggling which just made Nanoha laugh harder and then lean in to kiss her wife tenderly. Pulling away she soothed, "Fate-chan is my prince, she has never let me down once since we've been married. I most definitely feel like I'm living a fairytale happily ever after with her by my side."

Arf rolled her eyes at this, _Gawd! They are soo mushy!_

Nanoha saw the exasperated look and decided to change targets, with a smirk she said, "I don't know why you are making faces at us when you are just as bad as us with Zafira. At least we've never been banned from any place due to ahem… _inappropriate_ behavior, unlike some people I know."

Arf blushed scarlet, "Who the hell told you about that?!"

Nanoha merely hummed and looked away innocently.

Arf glared at both women for a moment but it slid off both of them like water off a duck's back from long over use. Sitting back with a huff she muttered, "Only the usual suspects come to mind, Hayate or Shamal and I'll deal with both of them at Christmas when they come for the holidays."

Fate took note of this, sitting forward with a bright look of interest, "They're coming here for the holidays?"

Arf gave her a dry look, "Yup, Hayate and her entire peanut gallery."

Fate smiled wide at this thought; the past month without her little cousin's presence had been rather quieter than she was use too. The girl still trailed with her Arisa and Suzuka along with her cousins, Shamal, Signum and Vita everywhere she went. But it was her newest acquisition that made her even more entertaining to watch. Five years ago the fashionista finally fell hopelessly in love and added Rein to her motley crew. The silver haired and red eyed Rein was the exact opposite to the often ridiculous and outrageous Hayate, but together they balanced each other out. To watch the serious and highly conscientious girl bend the normally willful Hayate to her every whim with nothing more than a quiet word and gentle touch to her arm or face was hilarious to Fate. _And Hayate calls me whipped! Ha!_ The idea of spending the holidays with this horde of women made Fate think sticking around another two months could be worth any additional issues her secret enemy may try to throw at her.

Glancing at her wife, Nanoha smiled at her and gave just a hint of a nod. Fate then made a big production of stretching before finally relenting to Arf's now pleading look for assistance in dealing with her in-laws.

"Well you know it might be best for us to stick around stateside for a while longer. At least until we know all the danger has passed to you and the boys. Besides it's been years since we have all been together for the holidays, we can go all out if you'd be willing to host it at the beach house." Then she paused when a sudden thought stuck her, "Hmm, I wonder?"

Arf looked at her curiously, "Wonder what?"

Fate smiled her crooked grin, "I wonder if Einhart or Vivio is more like me?"

"Huh?"

"After I was shot and Nanoha came rushing to my side I knew I couldn't let her slip away. I had to tie the knot with her as soon as possible so she'd never slip away from me."

Nanoha snorted at this, _really like I ever had any serious plans to run away from my Fate._

Fate's smile grew at the noise but she just went on without commenting, "Einhart is now rushing to Vivio's side after a similar near death experience. As I said, I think they'll be a couple when they get back and if so how long will it be before they'll want to get married? If we stay here they can legally marry at Christmas when all the family is here. So the question is; if we stay can we hope to see a wedding?"

Nanoha was struck by this idea but was sure that a Christmas wedding might be too much too soon for the girls. Shaking her head, "Don't get your hopes up love. They still have to work on being a couple and learn to balance their relationship with all their other obligations. If there is one regret I have regarding our whirlwind marriage it's we didn't really talk about work and how we were going to balance it with our family more. I made such an idiot of myself especially once people started to try to undermined my abilities and call me your pet teeny-bopper idol."

Fate's eyes took on a shade of pain from that memory, anytime Nanoha was upset with her was a time of great personal anguish. Repeating the same words she always said when the painful topic came up, "Nanoha, you are no pet, you are my equal in all things. If I didn't have the utmost respect for your abilities I would never had hired for the film where we first met."

Nanoha accepted words with an appreciative smile and scooted closer to the blonde to snuggle into her trying to make up for her harsh words spoken so many years ago. Fate never once demanded she give up her career or showed any signs of jealously of her fans that often showered her with compliments and presents. Fate's only concerns regarding her career was Nanoha's health and making sure she got as much "NanoFate" time as she could.

Their marriage's early years were marked with a great deal of lovey-dovey mushiness (of course) but also a great deal of stress as Nanoha tried to maintain her career and make time for both Fate-time and their family. The stress just came to its breaking point when Fate began the process of trying to become pregnant. The hateful muttering from various sources stating it was such a shame Fate was diluting her family's prestige with such poor stock had gotten under Nanoha's skin and made her eager to prove herself a worthy partner to her iconic wife.

Nanoha in her pride took on a job where she was expected to take on what would be the riskiest stunts she had ever attempted. It was the _unnecessary_ risks she was taking that made Fate recoil at the thought of her precious Nanoha taking on the job. Nanoha made the mistake of seeing her concern as an underestimation of her abilities. At the time she had expected Fate to back her one hundred percent in all her ventures, after all hadn't she been supportive of all of Fate's decisions since they married.

When Nanoha walked out of their home it was in a cold fury that had left Fate in the deepest doldrums of despair and trying to control her rising panic when she learned who the stunt coordinator was. The man was an incompetent meathead, and in conjunction with a director who believed the bigger the explosion the better the audience response would be, it made the conditions for an accident almost guaranteed. Fate had tried to point out the risks but Nanoha took each point as proof Fate didn't believe in her.

The stunt coordinator in charge of the shoot rigged the flying projectiles and Nanoha's harness so she could be yanked out of harm's way at the very last second. If not for her presence of mind to dodge the faulty timing to the harness array could have resulted in her being impaled. In the end she didn't escape harm and ended up with a broken arm and a concussion when the harness finally engaged and pulled her off balance and into the padded wall unprepared for the impact. Fate had been devastated by the near fatal accident and Nanoha facing the terrified Fate while sitting on a hospital gurney finally came to the realization that the risks of her job and pride were not worth losing her future with Fate.

It was only a few weeks after Nanoha's cast came off that it was confirmed Fate was pregnant and that news put the final nail in the coffin of Nanoha's show business career. Nanoha changed the emphasis for her life completely and decided to open a branch of Midori-ya Café where both she and Fate could retire from the stress of public life and live a more peaceful settled life. Fate took care of the business paperwork in addition to continuing her writing and artwork in an office above the café proper. Nanoha ran the day to day business on the floor and was head baker. The new enterprise took off and allowed the pair to eat every meal together while each found satisfaction in their work.

It had taken that near fatal accident to get Nanoha to face changes needed to be made and get her priorities straight. Hopefully their children wouldn't repeat this painful mistake. They might not be as lucky. After this sobering reflection all three women sat quietly together for a while longer before Arf excused herself. Nanoha took this brief interlude to whisper words of love and devotion to her Fate. Then they got up for dinner, hearts bolstered and once again hopeful that their family would only grow stronger and tighter in light of recent events.

~"~"~"~"~"~

TCUSA LA Offices

Jail was furious, he was knocking thing off the walls, screaming in a rage. The blonde had reasserted herself in the pecking order of Testarossas. True she didn't have the blood but it was clear she had the spirit; that was what the media was screaming. Even if he had had a pet serial killer on staff he would have never set him on the either girl just in case this very scenario occurred.

His hand caught on the sharp edge of a table as he overthrew it in his anger. Documents and delicate glass ornaments flew in the air like shrapnel. Blood began to leak from his the gash on his hand and splatter the debris on the floor. In the corner of the room a beeping noise sounded from a cell phone, only its heavy duty case saving it from utter destruction. The man halted in mid screech and looked at the offending device.

With a cool calmness that was not true he answered the phone and sounded to the caller every bit the professional businessman he pretended to be. Once this farce was completed he hung up and looked about the room. He was in control, his anger now only seething under the surface once again. He called in his secretary and told her to clean up the mess. She looked over the room and without a word began the task of setting things a right. She was yet another of his pawns, she knew how dangerous it would be to protest and benefited greatly from his sometimes generosity.

He stepped out of his office into his private bathroom and began the process of attending to his damaged hand. Washing out the wound in his sink he watched with faint interest as his blood swirled down the drain. His mind now back to the problem of Testarossas old and young. Fate and her wife were still a thorn in his side but he had decided it was best to destroy the daughter as she was his real target. The _love_ the pair had for their children would mean they would suffer more from her fall from grace than their own. He looked forward to watching the pair suffer.

He couldn't wait for Quattro to seduce Einhart, the deed needed to be done immediately and then the trap could be sprung. A quick slip of a roofie and then the two hookers he kept on retainer would come in and set up a rather debauched scene for the young heiress to waken too. Photos included. Delicious, the little bitch would never be able to recover from the scene. No one would want her after his _Ladies of the Night_ were done playing with her.

That should shut people up over the heroics of the Testarossa mainline, god damn fate. His lip twitched at his inadvertent pun; yes Fate would be cursing her family's fate very soon. He opened his extensive medical kit and found the necessary bandages and sutures to close his still leaking wound. Very soon the blood will hit the walls, not his own but that of the unworthy. The package was set to go, all he needed to do blacken the name of Einhart S. Testarossa-Harlaown and then await the Annual Testarossa Christmas Gala and it would all be done. No more would the elder and main line rule, it was time the true bloodline came to power.

~"~"~"~"~

San Francisco

Time seems to flow like molasses for both girls when suddenly Einhart was in front of the motel. The cab pulled into the parking lot and stopped in front of the motel office where it sat awaiting its passenger to disembark. She sat in the car for a long minute trying to collect her wits. When the driver gruffly asked if there was a problem and looked pointedly at the meter she shook herself and paid him. With a huff of breath she climbed out of the car and began her search for the exact motel room where her wayward blonde was waiting.

Climbing the stairs she came to the nondescript door with the number plate 588. Fear, anger, hope, and love wrestled inside her as she lifted her hand to knock on the door. Quick footsteps could be heard then the door swung open.

_Vivio._

Einhart took in the girl's tired appearance; it looked like she hadn't really gotten a restful night's sleep despite sleeping through all her family's calls and text message alerts. All at once her anger faded and relief and love surged through her as she pushed forward without thinking and pulled the blonde into a tight embrace. Tears began to flow, her body now shaking with the residual fear she had been living with for the past hours.

Vivio was at first shocked, she was sure Einhart was going to slap her or at least yell at her. But as the green haired girl glommed onto her and began to cry she realized those things were never likely to have happened. Einhart would sooner cut off her own hand than raise it in anger at her. As for the yelling they had only ever been able to yell at each other over the phone, their infrequent arguments usually resulted in cold silence and then sudden thawing when they saw how sad and hurt the other was from their actions. Being face to face always allowed the love they felt for each other to overcome any other emotion they may have been feeling previously. Aggravation, annoyance, even physical pain from when Vivio accidently knocked Einhart over in her early childhood clumsiness could and would be ignored when they opened their arms for a hug.

Vivio kicked the motel door closed and led the still sobbing Einhart to the bed where they sat close together and she found herself soothing her distraught sister with a hand rubbing her back and calming words. It felt so good to be holding Einhart that she almost was glad she was attacked last night. She'd face a hundred killers if only she could feel her favorite person's arms around her. Even as she thought this she knew that was not a sentiment Einhart would ever want her to speak aloud.

Finally Einhart's tears and shaking lessened then stopped and Vivio realized the emotionally exhausted girl had fallen asleep against her. She could only smile at this development. Shifting her best friend carefully she had them laying down on the full sized bed as Einhart's grip was still firmly latched on the blonde. Pulling the comforter over them she snuggled her precious bundle in more comfortably and for the first time in over a year fell asleep truly happy.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Einhart awoke warm and rested. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. She was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and the scent of honeysuckle tickled her nose. It was beyond a doubt her favorite scent; she took a deep inhalation filling her lungs with it. Her movement made the warm cocoon shift and its grip on her tightened. She was finally conscious of the softness of the cocoon on one side of her where the warmth of it seemed to radiate. Opening her eyes she was confronted with white fabric and peach colored flesh. The sliver of light from outside the darkened room highlighted golden strands of hair that fell tickling onto her.

_Vivio._

Again only the girl's name echoed in her head. Precious Vivio who was her world, the very air she breathed, the one who without even knowing it sustained her hungry heart with a simply smile. For a mad moment Einhart wanted to press her lips to the exposed flesh of the girl's neck and discover if she really did taste as delicious as she always imagined. Then Vivio shifted again, her head ducked down so her lips brushed the top of her crown, the voice that spoke was that of dreams. "Einhart. I… I love you."

Einhart's heart nearly burst out of her chest at these words. Was it true? Could Vivio feel for her what she did for her?

She carefully shifted so she could look into Vivio's sleeping face. It was clear she was dreaming and it wasn't a good one. She frowned and clutched at Einhart's shifting figure, her voice broke out again, "No, don't leave me. I'm sorry, I can change. I'll fix it. Please, please don't leave me."

Tears started to leak from her sleeping eyes and Einhart's heart nearly broke from how very sad it all was. Her love was just as scared as she was. She leant in and feeling for a moment guilty for stealing a kiss from the blonde beauty but she could think of no better way to waken her from troubled sleep. The kiss was soft at first, just a gentle pressure but it was all it took to get blonde lashes to flutter before Christmas colored eyes sprung open. At this close up range she knew immediately who was kissing her and in her sleep addled state she didn't question it, perhaps her dreams were just taking a happier turn.

She returned the kiss with a fervor that made Einhart gasp which allowed the blonde's slick tongue to invade her mouth. The warm invader found an equally questing tongue and began a duel for supremacy. Einhart began to get light headed from the passionate kiss and the now roaming hands of her dearest love. They had started innocently enough rubbing her back and pulling her tighter into their embrace. Then they had swept down and clutched at her hips kneading and rubbing them as if uncertain if allowed freer reign. Then just as suddenly they pushed forward in their heated exploration and grasped her bottom and squeezed. The pressure made the dark haired girl gasp and squirm, bodies now so close the movement only seemed to fuel the growing inferno in the both of them.

Einhart knew she had to stop this before they went too far, they needed to talk. She needed to declare herself, she needed to confirm this wasn't going to be a onetime thing or worse that this wasn't going to destroy the love Vivio and she shared. To have Vivio in all her splendor then lose her in the next moment would kill her. Reaching up she cupped her love's face then pulled away as gently as she could, the moans of distress almost made her change her mind, _perhaps talking could come later…no._

"Vivio, Vi-chan look at me," her voice was lower and more sensual then she had ever heard it.

Vivio didn't want to open her eyes again; she didn't want to see disgust or rejection there. It was clear from Einhart pulling away she had come to realize the folly of their actions. Einhart had kissed her true but a chaste kiss, a sisterly kiss, which she then perverted into hot make-out session. Not opening her eyes and ducking her head down she muttered, "I'm sorry, I know you didn't mean anything by that kiss, I took advantage of the situation. I… I am sorry I'm such a freak!"

Vivio was now crying and trying to pull away but Einhart's strong arms wouldn't let her go despite the thrashing the blonde did in her desperation to escape her. Knowing she'd have to get at least a little physical with her blonde to make her pay attention she grabbed a hold of her hair at the base of her head. The dark haired girl now holding her squirming prey firmly pressed her lips to the sweet mouth that had haunted her dreams once more. This time she didn't even think about letting Vivio take the lead, she flicked her tongue over the seam of her mouth before prying her way in to ravage her. The hand not currently holding a fist full of silky locks found its way to soft mounds and began teasing the flesh until pebbled peaks ached and the blonde was writhing with unanticipated need.

Pulling away both girls were now flushed and their pupils blown from desire. In as steady a voice as she could manage, "Vivio if you are a freak so am I. I love you, I've been in love with you since we were kids, I am so sorry Vi if I hurt you when I moved out but I was scared you'd think I was gross if I told you how I felt. It was getting too hard for me to control myself around you."

Vivio was in shock, "Kids? What the hell Einhart, why didn't you say something? I may not have realized what I was feeling for you until after you moved out but if you had just told me it would have clicked. I would have jumped at a chance to be with you. I hated every single guy who came near you, I wanted to throttle the girls who would flirt with you and tried to take your attention away from me. Fuck, I joined TCJ just so I could keep an eye on you."

Now it was Einhart's turn to be shocked, "You joined for me?"

Rolling her eyes at this, "Of course I did, you were going off on how wonderful Fate-mama was and how you wanted to be just like her and I thought, stupidly, that if I joined too you would look at me the same way. All I have ever wanted was your attention, I hate sharing you."

She paused for a beat, and then realization struck her, "Just as much as you hate sharing me. Lio… you scared the shit out of her in first year of high school. I never knew exactly why but you put the fear of god into her and she started to avoid me."

Einhart blushed from embarrassment, looking away at the ceiling she muttered, "She let slip she wanted to confess to you and ask you out. I might have threatened to disembowel her if she ever tried."

Vivio looked at her sister quizzically, the silence stretched for a moment and Einhart added in a near whisper, "I was cleaning ojii-san's katana at the time."

Vivio smiled wickedly at that, the idea of Einhart, _her_ perfectly poised Einhart being possessive over her filled her with warm fluttery feelings. In a slightly teasing voice she remarked, "It appears to me we are both selfish idiots when it comes to each other. We both wanted the other but were either too dense or scared to figure out a way to get together."

She then did something she knew would get Einhart's full attention back on her, wriggling so their bodies brushed in a most enticing way she then let her hands began a slow crawl up and down her (soon to be) lover's back. Einhart turned to take a quick glance and seeing the blatantly lustful look on Vivio's face she gasped.

It was at that moment the blonde pounced and there was no more talking done for a very long time.

~"~"~"~"~"~"~

~"~"~

~"~"~"~"~"~"~

A/N 2: Sorry about the semi-shortish chapter but to push on immediately onto another scene seemed to cheapen the reveal and I also would like some feedback from my readers.

-Question: Should I continue with a lemon or just leave this off where I have? Please review with guidance as I am leaning towards a lemon but don't want to turn some people off the story.

**See everyone I'm keeping my word and updating regularly again. Mind all this is new material and there is nothing but bits and bobs floating in my notes now to give me any guidance, mostly fluffy stuff which might not fit the story as I progress, sigh.**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Per the feedback I received lemons incoming. I can't believe people encouraged me add a NanoFate love-love moment too. Yes, they are my OTP but I am trying to branch out a bit, in the end I am weak and really wanted to write NanoFate so I took the excuse and ran with it. I think the lemons will prove where my comfort level is when it comes to writing for the different pairs.

There isn't much story progression to this chapter, just a lot of loving. Please give feedback on the lemons, I'm not really 100% satisfied with the Vivio x Einhart one but I did my best. The darkness looming over the family is briefly touched on and I hope it doesn't ruin anyone's warm fuzzy feelings. Please R&amp;R to keep the muse fed.

Disclaimer: I don't own MGLN, I make no money from this.

~"~"~"~"~

Chapter Seven

Oct 28, 20XX

San Francisco, Motel 88 6am

When Vivio awoke next it was to the pleasant feeling of long fingers playing gently with her hair. It was something she had always secretly loved as it made her think of her mothers' loving relationship. When Nanoha played with Fate's hair Vivio could literally see the aura of love emitting from the pair from this simple gesture. Einhart had started doing the same to her when they started junior high. Vivio hated leaving behind friends from their primary school and the stress of making new friends. When they had come home after that stressful first day Einhart had pulled her head into her lap while she lay on the couch and played with her long hair. Within minutes Vivio discovered she was a lot more like Fate than she had previously imagined. Einhart had turned her into puddle of goo with her gentle ministrations and when the girl began to hum softly Vivio lost all will to stay awake and fell into a delightful slumber.

If Vivio could have purred she would have done so at this very moment. She was possibly the happiest creature in existence, her heart beat with a pleasant drumming that seemed to say 'she loves me, she loves me.' Her body ached deliciously from their shared pleasure; Einhart had proven to be Fate's daughter in her insatiability. Not that Vivio would _ever_ complain about that fact. Right now she was in heaven and maybe if she pretended to be asleep she could stretch out this moment of paradise for eternity.

Then a feeling of trepidation broke into her serenity with the sound of Einhart sniffing. _Was Einhart crying? Why?_

Vivio let her eyes flutter open and saw Einhart indeed had tears running down her face a look of utter heartbreak on her face as if she were facing permanent exile to a desert island. Reaching out she traced the track of a tear and wiped away the moisture. "Ein-chan, why are you crying?"

Then the blonde stiffened and bolted up in the bed to look more closely at her bedmate, "I didn't hurt you did I? Oh god I did, didn't I, I sorry Einhart. I've never done it before and got caught up in the moment."

Einhart took in Vivio's now frantic floundering and couldn't help laughing a little, _Sweet Vivio, you are just like Fate-mama when you act like that. Everything is not your fault, please don't assume you made a mistake, you are too perfect._

Vivio chewed her lip and looked at the now laughing Einhart in confusion.

"Einhart?" her voice was that of utter confusion and desperate for reassurance.

Tears continued to fall unbidden but she smiled through them and pulled the blonde into a tight hug. Vivio's heady scent filling her nose and making the tears fall faster. In a hoarse whisper she said, "Shh Vi, you didn't hurt me. I'm just so happy that I'm scared. As soon as we leave this small bubble of privacy the whole world will know and I'm scared of what they'll say. I don't want to let you down, you are my life but… but I am a Testarossa in the end, it's an inborn skill to mess up our love lives and hurt the people we love."

Vivio understood Einhart's fear; it was the same one she had been wrestling with. Pulling away a bit so she could look her lover in the eyes, "Einhart, I'm scared too. Yes you are a Testarossa but what about me; my parents were complete sleaze-bags. My father sold out my mother and abandoned her and both of them me. If genetics is destiny then we both have no hope of ever finding happiness."

Einhart felt like her heart had been crushed by Vivio's words. Vivio deserved to be in a loving relationship, to be pampered and spoilt by her lover. It was in the blonde's essential nature to automatically pour out her own love and devotion on those she loved, there would be no danger of her ever becoming a selfish high maintenance bitch to her lover. Clutching Vivio's hands she tried to speak but as her mouth moved no words found form.

Vivio could see Einhart floundering, it was such a rare sight that it made her smile a little, "Einhart, we aren't our biological parents. I'd like to think we are both more like Fate and Nanoha at their very best. When I look at you I can see a lot of both of them in you. Your stubbornness and drive to succeed like Nanoha, your quiet dignity and gentleness is pure Fate."

Then Vivio's eyes darkened, "Oh god, what will they say about all this?"

Einhart finally found a lifeline in this, "They already know. They…they're happy with it."

Vivio looked at her with a seriousness that she rarely used, seeing the truth in Einhart's eyes she nodded then said gravely, "Well, then that's all that matters in the end. We both want this and our family supports us. Who gives a flying fig what the rest of the world has to say. I'd never make you choose between me and our family Einhart. I know how important family is to you but can I be selfish and ask you to choose me over your career?"

The green haired girl threw herself at Vivio and clung tight to her. "God help me Vivio but I hope you never stop being selfish."

Vivio hugged her just as fiercely, they held each other for a long moment until Vivio became aware they were both still naked. Her body naturally began to react to the warm softness of her lover. When Einhart fleetingly pressed her lips to her neck Vivio found she had a very low threshold for control when it came to Einhart. The small moan that escaped the blonde made Einhart smile, and bolstered her confidence that this really was what Vivio wanted with her. The dark haired girl felt heat flood her and in less than a second she had Vivio laying on her back.

Einhart looked down with eyes storm colored eyes filled with lust and love, "I… I want to be selfish Vivio; I want to keep you for myself for all time. I don't ever want to have to share you. Will you give up your career for me? Will you stay by my side always?"

Vivio smiled at this and pulled the green haired girl down to her, after a very heated kiss she then pressed her lips to the shell of her lover's ear. Whispering, "I am yours, yesterday, today, and all our tomorrows. As long as I have breath I promise to be by your side."

The blonde then began to press kisses down the ivory column of Einhart's neck. When she found the particularly sensitive spot just at the base of her neck when it met her shoulder she opened her mouth and lightly nipped at the flesh making the taller girl gasp and press herself onto the warm body beneath her. Scraping her teeth lightly across the tender flesh made the sensitive girl shiver in delight and squirm. This response threw fuel on the blonde's smoldering desire and she flipped them over.

Looking down at the exquisite landscape that lay beneath her bejeweled eyes flashed with unrestrained happiness. Moving with unhurried ease she pressed kisses to on smooth porcelain skin, once more discovering the spots that made her precious lover sigh and gasp in delight. Vivio knew she'd never grow tired of hearing those noises. Never tire of the taste of this wondrous woman. Her mouth firmly latched on to a pouting nipple, suckled and teasing it until Einhart was sobbing in sexual frustration, hips bucking and begging. "Stop Vi, god I can't take anymore. I need you please."

Vivio just smiled and switched breasts despite Einhart's desperate hands which raked her hair and scrabbled at her scalp and shoulders. With a wet pop she finally relented and captured swollen and bruised lips once more. Vivio was intent on making Einhart lose her very mind just as she had reduced the blonde previously. After her tongue ravished her lover's mouth she pulled away leaving her breathless. Only once she saw the blown out pupils of her best friend did she lower herself once again. Giving the aching breasts only a small nip before going on to kiss the soft skin of the taut stomach and hips on her leisurely decent.

When she reached her ultimate goal she stopped briefly to look at the glistening flower, her lover was beyond aroused. Honey flowed and flesh was engorged with desperate need. She slowly began teasing by flicking her tongue up and down her outer petals lapping up the excess sweet nectar. In her highly sensitized state the hot slick appendage made Einhart cry out and beg. "Please Vivio, please…please."

Holding bucking hips tightly the blonde then dove in and began her next teasing torment. Tongue flicking the entire length of her lover's slit, once, twice then circled the highly sensitive clit before pulling it into a hot mouth. Einhart came with a scream. But her blonde lover wasn't done; she kept sucking and slid a finger into the clenching tight opening. Pushing energetically into the tight passage she thrust her long middle finger in then slid in a second finger with it on its second pass. On the third withdraw Vivio began to scissor her fingers and curl them pushing the green haired girl over the edge once more after a few frantic passes in the heated canal.

The white out pleasure that filled Einhart took her consciousness but when she returned it was with the pleasant thrumming of sexual satisfaction filling her. Opening her eyes she looked over at the girl who owned her, mind, body and soul. Vivio had a smug look of pure sexual pride. Despite limbs heavy with fatigue Einhart moved closer to the blonde, in rich cultured voice she remarked, "You seem rather proud of yourself."

Vivio grinned, "You know it. I could make love to you every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. You're delicious, did you know that?"

Einhart's face flushed red at the bold statement; she tried to hide her embarrassment by ducking her head. Hearing the blonde laugh her signature Takamachi laugh, nyahaha, at her response her Testarossa pride kicked in. Looking up still flushed but with a wicked gleam in her eyes she spoke with a deeply seductive voice, "Not as delicious as you are. I think it's my turn for a snack."

Vivio gasped and as their mouths met she tried desperately to keep the led but Einhart wasn't about to relent. Pressing the blonde firmly down to the bed the taller girl looked down on her like a predator. "Uh-ah my sweet Vi-chan, it's my turn and I plan to return the favor, with interest."

Releasing her breath shakily Vivio tried to speak but it was too late, the dark predator had already begun to move to begin devouring her delicious prey.

~"~"~"~

LA, TCUSA Studios 6am

Fate was in the makeup department sitting in bored silence as the makeup girl applied the gunk onto her face. She normally didn't wear makeup, Nanoha didn't care about her scars and it was only on the now ultra rare occasions when she was going to a public event that she ever bothered with the horrid stuff. The girl tutted a bit and in a disparaging voice asked, "Why haven't you bothered to get this all fixed? It would save so much time. You know even makeup can't hide everything."

Fate gave the girl a withering look and said in a frosty tone, "I don't bother because my **wife** doesn't think I need too. She loves me just as I am and she's the only person I have any interest in pleasing."

The girl was unfortunately an opinionated twerp, "Well that just proves what everyone says about her. She's holding you back and obviously likes keeping you looking like a train wreck so no one else will try to steal her meal ticket."

Fate jumped up out of the seat and was about to slap the girl. The girl stepped back suddenly fearful of the glowering blonde. Fate's fists clenched and in a strained voice she growled, "I'll thank you not to speak so disparagingly of my wife. If I hear one more word against her I will not be responsible for the consequences."

The girl gulped and nodded before hurrying to finish her job. Fate had to use every ounce of her professionalism to make it through this interview. In the years to come this particular interview was considered one of the hottest interviews ever given by the reclusive star. Fate spoke much more forcefully and openly about her life and love than she ever had before. The passion she showed for her family and especially for her wife was almost palpable. Arf seeing it eyed her cousin and couldn't help asking who got her panties in a twist before the interview as it was obvious someone had ticked her off royally. Hearing the background she was then upset and took it upon herself to make sure the makeup girl never worked on a Testarossa Corp event again.

~"~"~"~"~

LA, Testarossa Resorts Hotel 8am

Nanoha walked into a small conference room, waiting for her was her adopted sister-in-law Teana Lanster-Nakajima and the man her father's friend had recommended. The man was lounging in the plush chair at the head of the conference table while Teana frowned at the man. When they noticed her they both stood to greet her.

Teana had a great deal of respect for her sister-in-law and was offended on her behalf for the man's presumption of taking the seat at the head of the table. If not for the older woman's love and guidance she might not be as happy (or as often overwhelmed) as she was on a daily basis. After the fiasco with Ginga Nakajima she had felt it was imperative to cut ties with the entire Nakajima family, it was the least she could do to atone for her mistake. Cutting ties with Subaru had been as painful as cutting off her own right hand but she resolutely tried to maintain a solid wall of indifference for the girl. For over a year she tried to maintain a stony façade around the lovable doofus, but the girl never gave up on her. She asked her for dates and often brought pastries to her office.

It was Subaru's quest to fine the very best pastries to deliver to Teana that led to Nanoha stumbling onto her. The girl had come into Midori-ya Café while she was visiting her sister and the two fell into conversation. Nanoha had never blamed Subaru for what her sister had done and was surprised to hear about Teana cutting ties. It had been clear from that fateful night Teana was well and fully smitten with the short haired hyperactive girl. The very next chance Nanoha got she sat the orange haired girl down and began asking her some very hard questions.

In the end Teana began a _real_ relationship with the goofy young idol and three years later after many ups and downs they were married. The marriage taking place at the Arf's beach house and the whole family in attendance, it had been a beautiful but strained affair. Fate and Nanoha were careful to give Ginga a wide berth. Ginga still harbored feelings for the elegant blonde but really who could blame her for that, it was her active pursuit of the now _very_ happily married woman that caused problems. Thankfully their father was able to keep a tight grip on the girl and a scene which might have marred the event never occurred.

The younger woman stepped forward and gave Nanoha a quick hug before stepping back and introducing the lanky man. "Nanoha-san this is Vice Granscenic, Private Investigator."

"Granscenic-san, it's nice to meet you, my father's friend Griffith Lowran recommended you to me. I hope we will be able to work well together."

The man eyed her up and down and if she had been twenty years younger he would have been slapped for his obvious disrespect. Luckily time and Fate had given Nanoha a maturity she could now use to swallow her rage and contained her violent urges. Thinking about her family's safety she knew she could deal with a hormonal idiot male any day of the week if it meant they'd be safe, especially her Fate.

Licking his lips he smiled, "I hope so too Miss Takamachi."

That use of Miss and the lack of her wife's surname being used was almost enough to make her slug the man and crush his obviously over inflated ego.

In a brisk but firm voice she said, "That's Mrs. Takamachi-Testarossa. It's my wife and family's safety that had me looking for someone with your particular skills."

Presenting him with a standard pleasant business like smile she waved him to the seat, he chuckled and took his seat.

Nanoha took a seat and began a rather torturous conversation with the PI using all her self control to restrain not only herself but her sister-in-law from storming out of the room or beating the egotistical man to a pulp.

~"~"~"~"~

LA, Mondial Studios Noon

Caro was sitting at the controls listening to dialog as the rough animation played. She was trying to get a feel for the film so she could begin writing the score. The fact that her cousins had disappeared and left the project floundering was both annoying but also expected. Fate had called her to tell her about Vivio's most recent escapade and Einhart finally admitting to her feelings. It wasn't likely the pair would be back in LA in the near future so it was recommended they push on with recording other actors, working on animation and the score until the pair resurfaced. Fate and Arf had both pledged the funds to keep the project alive. So for now everyone worked around the missing Testarossa girl and hoped for her speedy return.

~"~"~"~"~

LA, TCUSA Offices 4pm

Jail stood at looking out of his picture windows looking forward to Halloween; it would be a red letter day. The set was completed, invitations for select guests to mingle with the cast and crew on the final night had been sent and RSVPs received. Soon the actual 25th anniversary would be upon them and movie houses around the country will be playing the movie before the live telecast of the final episode of the iconic TV series. Fate's death on screen would soon be followed by the death of her family's reputation.

Quattro looked over the dossier her grandfather had put together on Einhart and seemed pleased with her new target. The brown haired woman lounged on her grandfather's couch flipping through its pages. It would be a challenge for sure in some ways, the girl knew how to play hard to get. But then Quattro liked it when they played hard to get, it made the eventual surrender all the more satisfying. It had been a long time since someone had tried to say no to her, this would be fun. She had her dress ready and the hotel room reserved. All her necessary supplies and her faithful assistants were on standby. Just a few more days and then it would be playtime.

Her long elegantly manicured finger slid down the glossy photo of Einhart as a wicked smile graced her face. Her grandfather chuckled at her obvious delight in assignments. Then he sobered and in a firm tone said, "It's all well and good to enjoy your work Quattro but remember there is no room for failure."

The young woman gave her grandfather a huff as she flung the file onto a coffee table. "Pops since when have I ever let a mark get away from me? This girl is weak, look at how she scrambles about over her pathetic relations. It'll be easy to crush her like the scurrying insect she is."

Yellow eyes slit, "Don't underestimate her child. She is more Fate Testarossa's daughter than that fool Alicia's. If she had been raised by that empty headed blonde I'd be less worried."

"She will prove to be her mother's child. A weak life that can't do anything, destined to be crushed like her insect of a mother, such a pity she wasn't in the vehicle when it had its _accident._ Then again that would have meant I wouldn't have the opportunity to play with her, her screams will be delicious. Maybe if she proves to be a good enough toy I'll keep her, my playhouse could use a new toy."

The older man smiled at this, his granddaughter had such dark tastes, having to dispose of the leftovers from her games could be cumbersome but it kept her loyal and tied to him. Reaching down he brushed his hand over the top of her head, "We will see my sweet, she may prove as you say to be her mother's child and Alicia was weak-willed. The girl may break and become tiresome to play with after your first session."

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LA, Testarossa Resorts Hotel 6pm

Fate opened the door to her family's suite and the happy sight of her wife sitting on the couch reading, back pressed to its arm and legs propped up on the cushions to form a base for her book. The beautiful woman was wearing a light pink angora sweater and black pencil skirt which had ridden up her tightly muscled thighs. Her legs bent at the knees allowing the fabric to fall back and the irresistible zettai ryouiki was now on full display as the tops of Nanoha's thigh high white stockings left a sliver of pink flesh exposed. Since giving birth to Sora she rarely wore short skirts which would naturally allow it to occur, the lost of this inexplicably erotic sight was a hard one to bear.

Fate's gaze on her made Nanoha look up at her tall blonde wife. The gleam in the burgundy eyes made the book in her hands seem to disappear. Reaching out a hand to the blonde was all the invitation needed. Four long strides later and Fate was seated next to her on the couch wrapped tightly around the one she loved. The anger and hurt from earlier in the day seem to wash out of her as she snuggled into the soft sweet smelling hair.

Running her hands up and down the long length of her wife's back and feeling the tension in it she muttered, "What's wrong Fate-chan?"

Fate felt another ounce of frustration leak out of her with that tender endearment, Fate-_chan_, she was over forty for Pete's sake, but for the woman in her arms she would be _her_ Fate-chan forever. Pressing her lips to the delicate column of pink flesh which had been hidden behind the curtain of auburn hair she kissed then gave a quick flickering lick to a sensitive earlobe. Huskily she said, "People were being stupid, but I don't want to think about them anymore. Not when I have someone much more delightful to concentrate on."

Nanoha thought about this for a split second, their children, safely away with their grandmothers, friends, busy elsewhere, familial or professional obligations pending, none she could think of at moment. The day was suddenly and spectacularly beginning to look up for her. She hummed with pleasure, "Well, I have been feeling rather neglected of late, Fate-chan has been so busy."

With a feral growl the blonde scooped her up in her arms and lifted her up, the dangerous gleam in her eyes made the shorter woman shiver. "I have been remiss in my duties as a proper wife; I think it's time I made up for that."

Powerful muscles propelled them both to the bedroom and Nanoha was once again struck with how very lucky she was to have this woman in her life. So many people had and continued to point out how unworthy she was but the blonde never saw anyone but her. Somehow despite the pain and heartache they had found a place where they could be together, be happy. Nothing was going to shatter that, not if she had anything to say about it. Her beautiful blonde goddess would not suffer at the hands of her relations ever again.

When she was gently deposited on the bed she pushed all thoughts of outsiders from her mind, it was now time to drink her fill of Fate, to store up the happy sounds of their lovemaking. Fate's larger frame loomed for a moment over her but Nanoha wasn't about to let the blonde take the led just yet. She had come home stressed and it was her job to relieve her of it. Reaching up she pulled the burgundy eyed woman down for a thoroughly sensual kiss which left Fate panting when they broke apart. Taking advantage of the moment Nanoha flipped them over and straddled her wife's hips.

The tight skirt she was wearing was now a huge annoyance and she quickly unzipped the skirt and wriggling she yanked the offending fabric off over her head along with her now too hot sweater. Fate grinned at the display; her Nanoha was just as eager for this as she was. It had been a fear of Fate's that one day Nanoha would grow tired of her, grow disinterested then finally leave her behind. It was the last horrid lie her grandmother and sister had fed her. She was shallow and boring, only when on stage and performing did she have any worth. Nanoha's enduring love proved the lie.

The sapphire eyed woman reached out to her, long fingers undid the buttons on her silk blouse, spreading open the fabric as if opening a precious gift. Skin smooth and pale as alabaster except on for the trace scarring which while faded still left pink and puckered ridges. Nanoha traced each mark with her fingers then her lips. Worshiping once more, thanking the heavens this woman survived and was here with her. Going down further she found the black lacy bra blocking her access to heavenly globes. She deftly unhooked the bra and flung it away before she began to gently massage the two mounds before her. Fate groaned at the teasing fingers which lightly pinched her nipples before beginning their teasing massage once more. She desperately wanted to reciprocate but her wife had her knees firmly pressed down on her hands. She tried to slip one loose but the devious woman merely pressed down hard with both knee and hands eliciting a strangled groan from her at the assault on her sensitive peaks.

Moving her hands lower still she brushed down the soft skin of her lover's belly, despite the birth of their daughter twelve years ago Fate still maintained an athletes' body. Strong abdominal muscles rippled under her fingers as she glided her hands down lower to the fastenings holding her wife's highly unnecessary pants in place. Slipping a finger into the waist band she tickled her wife briefly before setting to removing the next barrier. Once linen pants were loosened the auburn haired woman grasped the sides along with the delicate black lace panties and slid them both off as she moved down the bed. Throwing the wad of fabric aside she then made to settle once more on her prize but Fate finally loose wasn't willing to wait any longer to touch her wife. Sitting up she grabbed the smaller woman in a fierce hold and kissed her with a burning passion. One hand firmly logged in the silky auburn side ponytail the other now leaving a trail of heat down her partner's body.

Slipping her arm around the smaller frame she found the clasp for her wife's pink silk bra and quickly undid it and pulled it away. Once full firm breasts were exposed Fate press her own to them and delighted in the feel of their sensitive peaks brushing. Then hungrily she pushed her lover down so she could devour the luscious points begging for attention. Nanoha moaned and bucked, frustrated at the fact she had lost the initiative but delighted at the ravenous attention. She gripped the blonde's head and held her firmly to her breast, she wanted more, needed more from this woman who held her heart. Begging for more in a voice grown thick with passion Fate finally relented and moved down lower.

Butterfly kisses dotted the pink expanse of tummy, hips and thighs. Fate breathed in deeply and took in the scent of arousal coming from her wife. Heaven help her but she was addicted to her, the scent and taste of her love. Teasingly she nuzzled the panty clad sex of her wife which made the woman growl in frustration, "Fate-chan, don't tease me!"

With a gentle finger she brushed the length of her slit through the soaked panties and then hooked the fabric aside. Pink flesh with a light down of auburn curls which glistened with her wife's arousal. Fate's heart was nearly pounding out of her chest, it took so much self-control to go slow when all she wanted was to ravage and devour the succulent feast before her. To make her wife scream and writhe in overwrought ecstasy was her secret vice; she could spend all day pleasuring her and never tire or feel neglected. Nanoha's ultimate pleasure came from their bodies meeting; she demanded contact, the feel of her lover pressed tightly to her, be it core to core or Fate's hot center pressed firmly to her thigh. Either way Nanoha would grip Fate to her as Fate pleasured her and made sure the blonde felt release, Nanoha needed to know Fate was satisfied before she could relax and give into the exhaustion the merciless blonde often pushed her too.

Lightly at first Fate skimmed her wife's overheated core with licks and fleeting kisses. Then with gentle fingers she pealed open her slick petals and mouth watering she dove into the moist slit to drink up the dripping dew. Her wife squealed when teeth scraped gently down her engorged clitoris, bucking her hips and hands scrambling for purchase on the bed sheets. The gentle nibbling went on for a moment before the nub was sucked in and a nimble tongue began to tease the sensitive bundle of nerves.

Fate allowed one hand to search blindly for her wife's hand, she was getting close and they both loved it when their hands were intertwined at the perfect moment of release. Her other hand gripped her thigh keeping her lover wide open to her as she massaged the tender flesh and her tongue began to dart in and out of her wife's tight passage. Her tongue with amazing skill worked her lover to the brink then suddenly the blonde gave up her grip on the tender flesh of her lover's thigh and the desperate hand replaced the hot slick appendage which moved to lap up all the spilt dew. Long fingers thrust into the tight passage finding Nanoha's most secret sensitive spots and after five lovingly vigorous thrusts pushed her over the edge.

Nanoha needed a few minutes to catch her breath and come down from the high. Fate laid on her side watching her wife with her signature cocky grin. She loved the blitzed-out look on her wife's face after they made love. Nanoha finally having collected enough breath and wits looked at her wife with love and pride. Leaning over she kissed her wife thoroughly, tasting herself on Fate's lips. Smiling she pushed the blonde down and maneuvered herself between Fate's thighs. Pressing their cores together she could feel how hot and wet her wife was beneath her.

Sapphires gleaming she spoke, "I love you Fate-chan."

Hips began to move and it wasn't long before Fate was pushed over the edge from the pounding friction of their meeting and Nanoha's deft fingers that teased her breasts and her sensitize bundle of nerves. The warm release pushed Nanoha over the edge once more and she collapsed onto her wife in a satisfied jumble.

Limbs entwined, hearts pounding, bodies slick with sweat and love; it was this kind of moment that both women cherished. Holding each other they murmured words of love before dozing off sated for the moment but knowing both would want more, need more upon awaking. They shared a hunger for each other which never seemed to be fully sated; it was a hunger both desperately hoped the other never found an end too.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I don't know how many more chapters it will take to finish this story, maybe four or five? Things will be heating up on the drama side so it may take more time for future chapters to be uploaded as I edit them for flow. Longer chapter than normal due to NanoFate hijacking the story.

** Read and Review please, my poor desperate heart and muse needs them. Puppy eyes :3 **

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Chapter Eight

October 29th, 20XX 8AM

Einhart knew they needed to leave the motel, it wasn't really the most comfortable place to stay and not convenient at all to their needs. She also knew getting Vivio out of San Francisco should be a priority. Waking up she slid out of the full sized bed and the warm embrace of her blonde body pillow. Showering then carefully dressing before stepping out of the bath as she knew if she left even the smallest of openings for them to begin again their hunger for each would have them spending another day in the room wrapped up in each other. Upon exiting she saw Vivio was awake but still laying down holding a pillow to her chest.

Concerned Einhart knelt by the side of the bed and looked into troubled Christmas colored eyes, "Vi-chan what's the matter sweetheart?"

Vivio blushed at the warm concerned and turned her head face down into the pillow, her voice muffled but discernible, "I'm just being stupid. Ugh!"

Einhart's gentle hand stroked her head, "Sweetie tell me, you know I hate it when you're sad."

Vivio tilted her head slightly and her red iris took in her lover, "I wanted to wake up with you in my arms. I was also disappointed by you coming out of the bath already dressed. I want to snuggle with you some more."

The storm colored eyed girl couldn't help laughing a bit, "Vi-chan as much as I would like to snuggle with you we need to get out of here, if nothing else I want us out of San Francisco and in a better quality room. Someplace with room service and a bigger bed and shower preferably."

Vivio could see a slight tint of color fill Einhart's cheeks at her admission and it filled her with warmth. Sitting up with the sheet held to her body she scooted to the edge of the bed so she could press a quick kiss on her lover's mouth before almost bouncing her way to the shower with a chirpy, "I like that idea too! Give me a few minutes to clean up and we can get out of here."

Einhart couldn't help smiling at this quick change in moods, but knew if she had woken without Vivio she wouldn't have been pleased. Shaking herself from her Vivio induced stupor she thought to herself, _heaven help me I love her. I don't ever want to wake up without her beside me, now I really know how Fate feels. I'm going to be as shamelessly addicted to her as Fate is with Nanoha and I don't ever want that to change."_

Packing the few loose pieces of clothing laying on the floor she then carried the small pieces of luggage they had to Vivio's rental car. When she made her way back into the room the bubbly blonde was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a pink sweater and low heeled black leather boots that came up to mid calf. Vivio was the picture of casual beauty, like Nanoha she wasn't stunningly beautiful but instead was something better. She was a natural beauty that shone brightly and made everything around her seem more radiant.

Einhart stood in the doorway watching the blonde brush her long blonde hair entranced by the way the light caught the autumn honey highlights which seemed make her winter darkened blonde hair look like burnished gold. When Vivio finally tied up her hair in the iconic Takamachi side ponytail exposing her long graceful neck the darker colored girl found herself irresistibly drawn to her. Quick long strides ate up the distance and then her lips were pressed to the pale skin as her arms slid around the girl's firm waist.

Vivio felt the kiss and warm hold and curved herself into the hollow of Einhart's body. She knew she'd never be able to deny the magnetic draw of green haired girl. The second her eyes had met the dark pair of heterochromatic eyes of this lovely girl she had been struck with a nearly compulsory need to glom onto her. As innocent as they had been at six the desperate need to be together had been there even then just awaiting its chance to blossom into something more. Reveling in the new aspects of their relationship Vivio allowed Einhart's wandering hands and mouth greater scope by pressing back and tilting her head.

Einhart felt the blood pound in her head, _heaven give me strength to control myself._

Carefully and with sobering purpose she stopped her hands and pulled her lips from warm flesh. Forehead pressed on Vivio's warm shoulder she groaned, "You have got to be the most addictive being on Earth Vi. We really need to get out of here but just looking at you makes me crazy."

When Einhart began to stop the blonde was ready to whine and entice, she was now aroused and wasn't about to let her lover get away with teasing her but hearing the words she couldn't help but smile and laughing she asked, "Nyahaha, You know who we remind me of?"

Einhart snorted against her best friend's shoulder as she began to laugh, "One guess, Fate and Nanoha. It use to embarrass me how they couldn't keep their hands off each other when we were kids. I fear we are going to be following in their disgustingly lovey-dovey footsteps."

Vivio hummed, "There are worse examples to follow. And while they can be oblivious to everything else when they get wrapped up in each other I always thought it was beautiful. Nanoha-mama, before Fate-mama came back into her life was so lonely. I know they love us kids but it's clear they're soul mates."

Einhart asked in a quiet voice, "Do you think we could be soul mates?"

The hope and fear in the question made the blonde spin in her arms and look up at the slightly taller girl. The longing look in her eyes made Vivio's heart ache. Pulling her head down for a kiss she then stated emphatically, "I know we are! Einhart think about it. When have either of us ever felt as comfortable with another person? Who can make us calm down when we are upset? Who is the one person we look to whenever we have news, good or bad?"

Then the blonde blushed and in a quiet hesitant voice she asked, "Have you ever been as physically attracted to anyone else?"

That last question was an easy one to answer. Leaning in she nuzzled Vivio's cheek with her own, "Vi, other than you I'm pretty much frigid. I tried to date others, you know I tried but I couldn't even let them kiss me. I don't want anyone but you to touch me."

Vivio's eyebrows tweaked at the frigid comment, "I don't think I could ever describe you as frigid Ein, smoking hot… smoldering has always been my impression of you."

Teeth grazed the shorter girl's earlobe then a deeply sensual voice spoke hotly against her neck, "Eye of the beholder, plenty of people think of me as an ice queen. I really don't care, as long as I have you."

Vivio knew if she didn't do something they were not going anywhere and she was really looking forward to a larger bed with Einhart snuggled in it. With Herculean effort she pulled away, pressing just a fleeting kiss on Einhart's lips before saying, "Love, let's get out of here."

Nodding she let the girl go so the pair could pick up the last of their personal items and leave the motel. Once checked out and in the rental they looked at each other. Neither wanted to go back to LA and the limelight, they wanted more private time together. Einhart turned on the GPS and asked her, "LA or was there somewhere else you wanted to visit before heading back?"

Vivio knew _she_ had no real obligations to hurry back to LA for but Einhart did, "What about Caro and Erio? They're waiting on you."

Taking her hand, "Vi, they can wait. We're supposed to be on vacation, I ran straight into that project just so I'd have a distraction from you. I don't really want to deal with that distraction for a few days. I'm going to be stuck stateside past the rest of family's scheduled time here so a couple of days of Vivio exclusive time will help me get through the time when you are gone."

Vivio rolled her eyes, "What makes you think I'd fly away and leave you here by yourself? If there was one lesson I learned growing up watching our moms it was, prioritize. There is nothing in Japan more important to me than you. I do have a few jobs lined up in the spring but mama made me clear my calendar through the holidays. Why the hell would I go back to Japan and be a moody bump on a log and ruin everyone else's holidays when I can stay here and be your love slave every night."

Einhart was at first touched then choked at the last comment. "Gawd Vivio! You have been spending too much time with Aunty Hayate."

The blonde grinned unrepentantly at her lover, "Umm, I consider you my love slave too so don't be too concerned about me becoming too submissive."

Jaw hanging loose and heat flooding her face Einhart couldn't think clearly. Then the giggling 'nyahaha' broke her out of the shock. She then grabbed the blonde and began to tickle her mercilessly. When her hand brushed a full breast heat replaced humor and suddenly they were kissing and groping one another. Vivo pulled away for breath, pressing her forehead to Einhart's, "Love we can't do this in a car, first of all there really isn't enough room, second of all we'll be caught and arrested for indecently…if we get caught you get to make the call to mom to bail us out."

Einhart groaned, eyes now screwed up, "You are horrible."

Vivio giggled some more, "Uhm! But you love me."

Einhart opened her eyes and deep blue and violet took in red and green, "More than you could ever imagine."

The blonde felt that love shining out of dark eyes and she cupped her best friend's cheek, "Let's not head back straight away, I don't really care where we go but I want to be with you alone."

Smiling Einhart nodded, "I know where I'd like to take you, we'll need to pick up some supplies but I think it could be fun."

Turning on the vehicle she then pulled them out into traffic before entering the freeway to take US 101 away from LA and towards a place where hopefully they'd be able to make more happy memories.

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It was late afternoon when they pulled on to a wooded street and Vivio could see a large blue house with a number of vehicles parked around it. They had stopped in the city of Trinidad for some clothes shopping, while Vivio had been in the dressing room Einhart had snuck off and picked up a few additional items to keep their final destination secret. The mysterious bags in the car had niggled at her curiosity.

When they exited the car and walked up the path to the house's entrance Vivio's breath was caught by the sight of the cerulean ocean and rocky cliffs covered in verdant vegetation. Even in late autumn this place looked like a slice of heaven on earth. They checked in to the Bed and Breakfast, the counterwoman smirking at the pair. The woman did not let on whether she recognized them as daughters of Fate Testarossa but it was clear she got a kick out of teasing lovers. Walking back to the car they collected their bags and headed up to their room, Einhart had paid extra for a private living room and private entry to the main deck for the Inn.

They settled into the room and suddenly Vivio felt shy, in the rather seedy motel it had seemed natural to just use the bed for their… ahem _nefarious_ needs but here... This place felt romantic and had a permanency to it that made her wish this wasn't them just running away for a stolen moment but instead the beginning of a new life together. Seeing Vivio close in on herself Einhart began to worry she had made mistake, was this place not to her liking? Vivio had always loved nature and the subtle elegance of this place should be making her happy, not morose and thoughtful.

Hovering over the seated blonde that was staring blindly out the large window that seemed to frame the beautiful ocean like a piece of fine art. "Love, don't you like it here? We can go somewhere else if it…"

Vivio looked up at her lover and saw the worry in her eyes, standing up she pulled her into a hug, "It's beautiful here. I'm just being stupid. I…I…forget it."

Einhart cupped her chin and lifted it so she could look into her eyes, "What is it Vi? I want you to be happy."

Tears suddenly came to the blonde and she felt like a fool, "This is the kind of place people go on their honeymoon Ein, I feel like a fraud being here with you. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you but right now it feels like we are doing something illicit and we are sullying this place."

Einhart knew she wanted Vivio forever, there was no question about that but they had to get pass the media storm that was still looming over them. How they fared after that would determine how they would be living. All Einhart knew, career or not, she needed Vivio like she needed air. She dropped to her knees, "Marry me. Please Vivio, please accept me. I won't ever want anyone but you. Believe me when I say I've tried in vain for years to get over my feelings for you and they aren't going anywhere. I need you like the air I breathe; like food and drink."

Vivio looked shocked at the sudden proposal, "Einhart I wasn't fishing for a proposal! I…I was just…"

The taller girl jumped back to feet and caught the blonde in a hard kiss; pulling away briefly she said in a low voice, "Please marry me."

Then her lips were pressing to Vivio's neck and then teeth sank in tender flesh leaving light red marks and making the blonde gasp. "I'm already yours Vivio, mind, body, soul. If you refuse me there would be no point to me existing. Do you remember how cold and remote Fate became when she thought she lost her chance to be with Nanoha. That will be me, a shell, an automaton. You give me life, please Vivio."

As she spoke she undressed the blonde, sweater and bra flung aside, jeans loosened. Then she dropped again to her knees and pushing the blonde on the bed she pulled boots and socks off before reaching up and removing the denim pants along with soft cotton bikini panties. Naked and flushed the girl lay stunned on the bed as the dark predator hovered and dove over her. Hands, mouth and seductive words flowed over her and she found herself pledging herself to the dark creature that was devouring her.

When Vivio awoke again hours later it was curled up to a warm sleek body, a long fingered hand playing with her hair. The moon was out and shone on the dark water, the surf churning in a strong wind. It was the most wondrous moment in Vivio's twenty-two years of life. Soft lips brushed her forehead and her dark lover spoke, "I'm sorry I was so rough with you. You have every right to be angry with me, I…I can't help being possessive when it comes to you Vivio. But I know I won't always get my way when it comes to you, you have a mind of your own. I love your mind; I don't want you to think I see you as an object."

Vivio smiled and snuggled into the warmth, "I'm not angry, if anything I have never been happier. When we were children I used to have strange dreams, I could never quite remember them but I knew they were happy. When I woke up and saw you nearby, either in the next bed or snuggled up beside me it gave me a thrill but I couldn't understand why. I finally realized what I was dreaming about; it was coming home to you, not as a sister or roommate but as your wife."

Einhart squeezed her tight, "I've wanted that since I was twelve years old. I was madly in love with you by the time I was nine but it wasn't until puberty that I started having serious fantasies of marrying you and doing other things with you."

Vivio shifted to straddle the dark figure hidden in shadow, her own body now being highlighted in moonlight. In a teasing voice she asked, "Were you lusting after me all those times we took baths together? How about when I latched onto you in the middle of the night like a limpet, get many dirty thoughts?"

Einhart laughed and let her hands lightly skim palely glowing skin, "I admit there were times when I had the occasional naughty thought but not all the time when we were kids. It wasn't until recently that lost all sense of propriety. That's why I moved out. You were killing me, asking me to help you wash your hair. Damn Vi, do have any idea how enticing I find your neck? How good it feels to run my fingers through your hair?"

Vivio leaned forward and rubbed her face against the soft skin of Einhart's neck and smiled, "I have pretty good idea, considering when you kiss me or play with my hair it turns me into jelly. While I admit it was only recently that I came to understand what I was feeling for you I will admit these past few months have been filled with increasingly more explicit fantasies involving you. It made me very glad we weren't sharing a room because I might have jumped you in your sleep."

The warm body beneath the blonde shook with laughter, "If you had it would have been like throwing yourself to a hungry wolf. I wouldn't have resisted for a second and likely would have had you on your back in an instant once I knew for sure you wanted me."

The blonde sat back up after pressing a flurry of kisses to the tasty neck before her, "It still feels like I'm dealing with a hungry wolf, you are insatiable. I'm not complaining mind but wow Ein I hope you never get tired of me because if you do I have no idea what I'll do. You have ruined me for anyone else."

Einhart sat up and pressed their lips together in a lingering kiss, and in the moonlight the dark eyes took on a gentle gleam, "You are the only one for me Vivio. I don't want to touch anyone else; I had to pretend it was you when I made that stupid romantic drama film four years ago. Why do you think I've let my acting career fall to the wayside, other than voice acting and the occasional action or drama film with no romance elements I prefer modeling and singing since they're solo acts."

Vivio was pulled down and she went from straddling the lithe figure to now blanketing it with her own body. Einhart's long form stretched out on the queen sized bed beneath her. Looking down pale flesh seemed gilded in the moonlight with a heavenly aura, a dark angel fallen to earth just for her. Swallowing her nerves she asked, "Were you serious about wanting to marry me?"

Einhart let her hands reach out and skim the soft curves of Vivio's waist and hips, "Deathly, I'd marry you this very moment if I didn't think we'd be killed by our family for leaving them out. Mom would be heartbroken, mama and Arf would be disappointed to the point of smacking us for not letting them plan some elaborate affair. Mom mentioned to me Arf has been planning our wedding for about five years, apparently we may be blind to each other but most of the clan could see the truth. Caro, tried to talk to me about my feelings two years ago but I just freaked out. Aunty Hayate was apparently being serious when she called us NanoFate 2.0, she told Arf if we weren't together by the time we turned twenty-five she was going to lock us up in a closet and keeps us in there until we came to our senses. "

That thought made Vivio blush, _locked up in a closet…hmm?_

"I need to get you a ring, would you like to go shopping in the morning? I'd like to at least give you that much. It'd make me feel better."

"Why?"

"Hmm? Don't you want a ring?"

Huffing the blonde sat up again from her warm niche nestled against her lover, "Why would giving me a ring make you feel better?"

Einhart looked at her in surprise, "Because it'd show my claim on you, possessive bitch right here, no way I'm letting anyone steal you away from me."

Vivio was shocked by the language, "Einhart Stratos! What would mama say if she heard you just now?"

Smirking, "Probably something in line with, 'like mother, like daughter.'

Sighing at the humor, she asked with a hint of exasperation, "Seriously Ein, why in the world would you be worried about someone stealing me? If anyone should be concerned it's me."

Einhart's dark eyes slit at this, "What was that girl the other night, pink hair who was hanging all over you!"

Choking at this passionate declaration, "Miura-chan? She's a Takamachi fan; she wanted to talk about my work and mama. She wasn't flirting with me. I don't think she is even a lesbian."

Long fingers dug into her hips pulling her tightly against the suddenly tense body under her, a growl came from beneath her, "yeah right, all girls are gay for you."

Vivio felt a surge of aggravation, "Einhart what the hell?!"

The grip loosened and a hollow sort of voice spoke, "I told you, I'm crazy over you. I left for a reason Vi… it's going to take time for me to learn boundaries."

In as gentle a voice as she could muster Vivio asked, "Why Ein? What have I ever done to make you think you could lose me? Haven't I proven to be a complete bur stuck to you since we were six? When have I ever shown anyone more love and attention than you? Where did this horrible preoccupation come from?"

Einhart ducked her head down and tried to come up with an excuse but only the truth would do, it slipped from her lips unbidden. "I'm not Fate, I'm nowhere near as good as her and I know you idolize her. I've worked my entire life to become what you want but it never seemed good enough. I…"

A finger pressed to her lips to stop her from blather carrying on. Then a slightly amused voice said, "That has to the stupidest thing I've ever heard from you. Haven't you noticed by now that it's when you are being entirely yourself that I seem to have the least amount of control over myself with you? I don't want Fate-mama, the very idea…that's incestuous to me. I've stopped thinking about you as a sister a while ago. But Fate, we aren't related but Fate just feels like a mom not a prospective lover."

She shuddered briefly as she thought about what Nanoha might think or do if that idea was floated in front of her, _no I think that's one idea we can let die quietly in a corner and never mention again._

Shifting again she let her hands trace her lover's face, "Ein I love watching you read, you don't think I know how much you love science and math. I loved it when in school you wore that white lab coat and goggles for the science club. I love the way you look when you run, the look of freedom on your face when you're racing the wind. Those are both things you don't share with Fate but have a hell of a lot to do with why love you. You are so beautiful when you stop pretending, I like watching you work, I just like looking at you truthfully, but when you are just my Einhart that's when I'm happiest."

Einhart felt something break loose in her, "I want to be a doctor, like grandma Precia. I hate acting. I like art but it can be so tedious sometimes. I want to help people, kids… a pediatrician. Do you hate the idea?"

Vivio grinned, "I think that's a brilliant idea."

She then snuggled back down, "Once we finish up with our obligations we can both go back to school. I'm done with pretending, I'm going to finally do what I want."

"Oh, are you finally going to admit to liking law? Considering how good you are at getting around the rules I always thought it was funny how much of a litigator you can be."

The blonde laughed, "Nyahaha, you have to know where the line is drawn if you want to toe it. But I'd like to go into family law, not criminal or god forbid corporate. I don't want anything to do with Testarossa Corp and corporate law seems like an invitation to being trapped in that Mammoth for the rest of your life."

Pressing lips to a blonde crown, "You know Fate was right, I never should have bothered with joining the entertain industry. If I had just did as I really wanted I'd be nearly done with both my premed and graduate degree and getting ready for residency. Stupid hormones, I was doing all I could to get your attention."

"Well in the end it will all work out, we can just consider these past few years as us being silly youths sowing our wild oats."

Fingers teased blonde hair at its roots, "What sowing? Up until the other night I was celibate as a monk. You completely corrupted me, mom always warned me about blondes, wild things."

Vivio was happy that Einhart no longer seemed so tense about their future, they had a plan now, it didn't matter how the entertainment industry took their relationship they were dropping out of that scene. Their real dreams were now going to be pursued, together.

"Humph! I do believe it was you who kissed me first. Corrupting indeed, I was like an innocent lamb led to the slaughter by a hungry wolf."

Smiling they kissed and soon fell into corrupting each other again happily.

~"~"~"~"~

Meanwhile back in LA

Testarossa Resorts Hotel 6AM

Fate awoke to the insistent tune of doom ringing nearby. Blindly she reached out for the device but found only air. The reason being she wasn't using the cloth and feather objects designed as pillows to prop her head in sleep. Instead she had been resting on the soft, warm stomach of her wife. Being about two feet lower than normal left her cell phone well out of reach.

The comfy pillow laughed at the wavering arm swinging in air, picked up the phone and in a humored voice said, "Good morning Arf, I hope this is important otherwise I'll have to punish you for interrupting my one morning to snuggle with my wife."

Arf wished she could be as flippant but needed to speak to Fate urgently, "Very important, family business. Could you please put her on?"

Nanoha really hated that phrase, _family business_, it normally meant the shit was about to hit the fan and Fate would need to scramble to fix something or get sucked back into a life she never wanted.

"You know when you say family business it makes me think of the mafia. A bunch of Italian-Americans like the Testarossas with as much money and power that you all wield without thinking really could be thought of in a negative light with the way you all use the word family."

Arf scrunched up her eyes for a moment; she would not make a Godfather joke, "Just put my dear cousin on the phone, we have the results of the audit she requested."

Misdirection, Arf didn't deny the Testarossas were practically a law unto themselves. Looking down at the woman who should be the leader of the family and if pushed could have been one of the darkest leaders it had ever produced. Theodore the III would have been but a blip compared to the powerhouse he had tried to mold.

Groggily Fate said, "Gud mornin' Arf"

"Fate, I need you in the office as soon as possible, you are going to have to start pulling those strings of yours. Scaglietti has gotten deeper into our affairs then we realized."

The blonde woman was suddenly standing and making her way to the shower, "I'll be there in less than an hour. Call Linith, Teana and Russell, I'll have work for them to do."

A clipped, "Right," was heard then the line went dead.

Fate carefully dressed in a skirted business suit, she took care to make herself look as professional as possible. The persona now forming in front of her mirror was one rarely used but terrifying to her adversaries. Nanoha watched and sighed, "Please be careful Fate-chan."

The cool impostor disappeared for a moment and a warm smile came to the elegant face, "I promise. I'll be back before dinner. I'm sorry, I wanted to spend this morning with you but the family…" her voice trailed off.

Nanoha smiled and said wryly, "It's okay Donna Testarossa."

Fate chuckled, "You do realize when I say family I mean you and the kids. The only reason I am even willing to play this game is to protect you. I know Arf and the boys can take care of themselves. She wouldn't even let me get involved if this only concerned them, she's dealt with attacks in the past. But I won't stand by while someone tries to hurt you and our children, not ever."

Sapphire eyes seemed to glow with a loving pride as Nanoha walked over to her stately wife. Hugging her tightly then cupping her cheek to pull her down for a tender kiss, "I love you Fate-chan. Please don't do anything reckless, I need you."

Nuzzling her wife's neck, "I love you too, with all my heart."

Then the warm and pliant Fate disappeared, in her place the coolly remote Testarossa appeared, though the persona wore a faint glint of warmth in her eyes, "I'll be back by five, we have a dinner engagement tonight for six with the Sanders. Dress warmly, we have a surprise planned."

Then a fleeting kiss and Fate spun on her heel and was out the hotel door with her purse and keys in hand.

~"~"~"~"~

There might have been more to the mafia joke Nanoha made than either Fate or Arf would ever admit. Over the years both women had made _friends_ with people who liked to repay their debts with _favors_. One such man was Zest Grangaitz, the world weary man had skills that made him highly sought. Jail would have sold his granddaughter without hesitation to have the man on his staff. But Zest was if nothing else a man of honor, true he had a twisted definition of honor but it was a code to live by.

The man was dusty and wrinkled looking but Fate wasn't fooled, she saw his eyes and knew him to be a man of intelligence and a skilled warrior. She listened dutifully and then issued her orders. Most things would have to be handled by her but there were enough tertiary jobs that her minions would be scurrying for most of the day. Jail had dared to plot death and destruction on those she loved. He would rue the day he ever got up his evil plans.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Nanoha received a text message from her daughters, the glib message stating they would be doing a little sightseeing and wouldn't be back until after the finale made her smirk. _Well that's one less thing to worry about; if they're not here then Jail can't trap them. Poor deluded fool thinking he can touch my babies._

She called Vice and told him her daughters would be out of town during zero hour and that he'd have more room to maneuver as a result. She wanted the would-be attackers caught in their pit of iniquity and exposed for the evil harpies they were. The fact that Quattro was considered something of a cutesy lovable idol to teens made her feel ill. The young woman was a viper in sheep's clothing, worst than a wolf. They at least are loyal to their pack. The woman had betrayed everyone in her family, ruining sisters, destroyed her mother. The only one she seemed to show the least loyalty to was her grandfather and that seemed to be the result of self interest.

It had been agreed upon between the married couple they would concentrate on their own objectives when it came to dealing with the looming dangers. Fate would deal with the business end and neutralize Jail's position while Nanoha monitored the situation surrounding themselves and their daughters and _prevent_ any situations from occurring. Sending Sora and Fia away now hadn't been just because of Vivio's newest media flurry, she wanted the girls outside of the reach of any member of Scaglietti's inner circle.

By the time Fate returned to the hotel that evening Nanoha had a loose plan of counterattack in place and was dressed in a light blue wool dress, the long sleeves and knee length skirt sufficient with her white stockings to keep her warm on this cool evening. The three inch heels of matching blue leather brought her to near equal height with her wife when she kicked off her own shoes to change into her dinner clothes.

The evening was lovely as they shared a meal with the equally happily married Saunders. The dark eyed Akko made a point to tell-tales on Fate every chance she got and Nanoha found herself laughing more than she thought she could have considering the situation they had found themselves in. But a blushing Fate-chan trying to excuse her reckless youthful behavior was too much to resist. Fate's now explainable goofy behavior after her return from Japan was remarked upon and made Nanoha blush slightly in retroactive pride. Fate had loved her for so long but circumstances had conspired against them. Smiling she thought, _we have persevered and now we have our happily ever after. A happily ever that had taken nearly a decade to achieve and I won't let anyone spoil it._

The carriage ride around the city, as each couple snuggled into each other, was beautiful and relaxing. It also gave Nanoha time to reflect on the couple sitting across from her in a way she never had as she heard Eden speak about her work. Eden was highly educated, a doctor and owned her own highly successful clinic. Never once had she been tempted to act, sing or model, the woman was more than beautiful enough to make up for her diminutive size. She never once had put herself in competition with her wife. They could be seen as complete opposites physically, professionally, intellectually and socially. Akko was normally quiet and reserved while Eden was outgoing and personable. Akko made her living off her physicality while Eden her mind. The dark haired five foot ten inches Akko dwarfed her fiery colored wife. _How in the world did they meet, let alone fall in love?_

The question slipped out of Nanoha's mouth before she knew what was happening. Eden had felt the analyzing stare and laughed, "I pretty much kidnapped her when we eight years old to be my love slave, ha-ha. Um it's a long and strange story but the gist of it was, my elder brothers used to compete in martial arts and I'd go watch them. That's where I met this lug. She was so serious and… closed in on herself. I had to reach out to her, she was gorgeous even then and it was the first time I had ever felt myself attracted to someone. I had been expecting to get my first crush at one of those events… with one of the boys mind, not the hoity-toity princess of martial arts Sanders."

Akko choked at that description of her.

Eden just smirked and carried on, "Everyone hated her since she was a child prodigy when it came to the martial arts and even grown men couldn't touch her. I followed her around and made a general nuisance of myself and eventually found myself being press against a wall by a very aggravated Akko. She wasn't use to people trying to get into her personal space or her head. I think she was going to punch me but I kissed her and well one thing led to another and by the end of our first year knowing each other we were secret girlfriends of a sort. After the kiss I never let her out of my sight, made my father push for taking her away from her family. They didn't treat her right and my father was a police officer. I knew she'd have to face down a lot of people to be with me but I didn't want to let her go, I was pretty pushy about the whole thing. The custody trials were pretty ugly, her family in particular hates me with a passion but they don't particularly love her either. She was treated like a lot like Fate, seen as a commodity that could be used at their will."

Nanoha was trying to picture the scenes described, and in a bemused moment asked, "How much taller than you was she then?"

Eden laughed, "You're awful Nanoha, concentrating on that aspect of all things!"

Akko grinned, "I was already five inches taller than this midget. I've always been tall for my age. I have to admit having to catch this little wiggle worm in any kind of grip has always been a challenge for me. Keeping it is even harder."

Fate grinned and shook her head, "Oh that's a lie, I've caught you two in a _grip_ far too many times to believe that."

Eden smiled, "Tell me the truth was it love at first sight for you Nanoha? You met both Alicia and Fate at about the same time; did that confuse you at all?"

Nanoha snorted a bit at the last question, "Alicia didn't faze me in the least. I was ready to write off the whole Testarossa family despite my best friend telling me it was Fate who was the real heartthrob of the family. Alicia made me feel cold inside and obviously she was beautiful but it felt artificial somehow. Like she was pretending to be something she wasn't."

Eden muttered, "Fate likely."

Nanoha raised her eyebrows in appreciation of the comment then went on, "When I met Fate-chan, it was like a bolt of lightning struck me, suddenly I just had to know this woman, touch her, make her laugh. Like you said Eden I had to reach out to her, she was so…so sad and alone despite all the people who loved her surrounding her."

Fate hugged her tighter to her side and kissed her temple at that, Nanoha leaning into the embrace continued, "I felt like I had finally met the person who could complete me. I was already on my way to being pretty famous in Japan, had lots of fans, a family that loved and supported me, and a few close friends who I knew I could trust but I felt empty then Fate-chan just seemed to step out of thin air and filled the gap. When she returned to the US after our film I was depressed, I was sure I'd never hear from her again, what could an international star like Fate Testarossa want with me?"

Akko frowned at this, "Fate, you weren't playing hard to get were you? Making this lovely lady beg?"

Fate laughed at the idea, "No, in the end I was the one begging, less than two weeks home and she was haunting my every waking and sleeping moment. I wrote her and we started corresponding, first letters, then emails and phone calls. I'd have sooner cut off my right hand than contact with Nanoha, even after my accident I couldn't give up writing to her. I wouldn't speak to her on the phone because I was too stubborn to let people in, I knew if I heard her voice I'd cave like a house of cards."

Nanoha turned a bit in her seat and wrapped her arms tighter around her wife, "I should have been more aggressive after the accident. I should have told everyone to take a flying leap and stayed with you but I had just adopted Vivio and I was scared you'd not want to deal with a strange child on top of having to rebuild your entire life. It's a stupid thought now that I'm looking back with 20/20 vision of hindsight."

Fate decided not to open old wounds, "We were both floundering to determine what the best course of action was. In the end it all worked out, I have my Nanoha and the family I've always dreamed of having."

Dark eyes became hooded, "Yes, that lovely family of yours, how are things going? Have the elder girls finally gotten their heads out of…."

A sharp elbow to her side made her give an 'oomph' then she gave her wife a chagrined smile, "Sorry dear, um let's see, ahem out of the sand and realized how they feel for each other."

Nanoha pressed her smiling face into her wife's shoulder, the pair was too cute. Fate answered with an amused tone, "Yes and now according to their rather brief text messages they're um taking some time to bolster their relationship and won't be back for a couple of days, they'll miss the finale all together."

Nanoha muttered into her wife's side, "Probably going at it like rabbits."

Fate blushed scarlet at this, "Nanoha! Those are our children!"

Nanoha smirked unrepentantly at her wife, "If Einhart is even half as much your daughter as I suspect then my poor Vivio will be unlikely to be able to walk after she has been attacked by your fiend of a child."

Fate's blush somehow got deeper at the now raucous laughter of her oldest friend. Trying and failing to come up with a reply to this she sat there with her mouth moving but no words came forth to save her.

Nanoha giggled at this, "Nyahaha, that's what I thought. Us defenseless Takamachi girls will always fall victim for Testarossa charms and lose our virtue to their dastardly machinations. All I can say is thank god you're women and can't get us pregnant the traditional way or heaven knows there wouldn't have been just two pregnancies since we got married."

Fate knew she had to find some way to one up her wife or she'd just keep teasing her until she was ran out of blood to send rushing to her overheated face and passed out. Normally not one to tease her wife publicly about their love life she went for the kill, "If I remember correctly Miss Takamachi you were the one to kiss me first, all but commanded me to sleep with you and you took great pleasure in knowing you had gotten me knocked up. If anyone should be considered a seductress it's you my dear. Cute and innocent the little Takamachi girls look but succubae every one of them, even you father warned me that if you took after your mother and sister I'd have my hands full for my entire life."

It was now Nanoha's turn to turn scarlet, "Daddy said no such thing!"

Fate snorted, "I'm just surprised your parents only have three children."

Eden threw her gloves at the pair, "Enough you're going to make Akko sick with laughter."

True enough the dark haired woman was holding her sides and her normally reserved and placid face was flushed with laughter. She normally laughed once or twice in a quick burst and then let go of her humor, but the ribbing the married couple was giving each other had pushed her into her silent heaving laughing which was almost impossible for her to control. Her body shook with unadulterated hilarity, her oldest and dearest friend had found a wife as evil as her own.

Fate gave the woman a dry look, "I just bet you enjoyed that. Normally my sweet Nanoha wouldn't say such things to me. I have an idiot cousin for such things. You madam are a bad influence and I think it best I keep my wife far from such corrupting influences."

Nanoha let go her indignation at Fate's comment about her father's warning and looked at the pair across from them, _yes they had enjoyed that whole scene, ugh! Well two can play that game._

With an arched eyebrow Nanoha asked the pair, "What about you two, what was your first impression of Fate-chan?"

Akko frowned remembering, "Ugh, I thought she was a pretty princess who was going to be a pain in the ass to work with. I'm afraid I got her confused with Alicia, I met her first in studio hallway and she didn't leave a very positive impression. I made Fate work twice as hard as a result, made her prove herself, it's a wonder she didn't walk off the set."

Eden shifted in her seat and muttered dispassionately, "I hated her with the passion of a thousand suns and wanted to avoid even thinking about her existence."

Nanoha blinked at this shocked that Fate's oldest and dearest friends had once hated her, "Um so how did you all become so close?"

Eden flushed and pulled away from her wife then snuggled back in as she said in a strained voice, "I kinda of, um… I kissed her."

Akko snorted, "Fucking mouth raped her you mean."

Fate was now shirking into herself; she had hoped this particular story wouldn't come up, ever. Nanoha turned and stared at her. Akko seeing the incredulous look on Nanoha's face tried to give the story in as clinical a manner as possible.

Her warm alto voice unusually detached she began, "I made the mistake of making Eden jealous inadvertently, Fate was visiting and was confronted by Eden in the kitchen. If you haven't noticed Fate and I have a similar body type which Eden finds…um attractive. Pissed off with me and already angry at herself for finding Fate attractive she decided to uh relieve some of her tension by basically sticking her tongue down Fate's throat while groping her against a cabinet. Not her proudest moment nor was what I did in response. I came in and saw them, well Eden kissing Fate, Fate was trying to disentangle herself without hurting Eden. I ripped them apart and proceeded to pound Fate. I busted her lip and cracked three ribs before the poor girl gathered enough wits to dodge properly and then got me in an arm lock."

Akko rolled her neck, soft popping noises were heard before she went on, "She then had to basically sit on me and try and get a hysterical Eden to calm down enough for all of us to talk properly. We were idiot teenagers with a lot of raging hormones and neither Fate nor I were ever really good with talking about relationships. I just got to say thank god she didn't just wash her hands on the whole thing and walk out. Eden and I might never have worked out our problems considering how stubborn we both are."

Nanoha didn't really know what to say, before she had always been more concerned about Akko's previous relationship with Fate, Eden hadn't even been a blip on her radar. She was so not Fate's type. In a rather pleading tone she called out, "Fate-chan?"

Fate looked at her with not so much guilty as fearful eyes, she never liked it when she made Nanoha angry or jealous; it never boded well for anyone. Stammering, "I...I really didn't like it, hated it. No offense to Akko or Eddy but I never want that to happen again, ever. Eden is so not my type."

Nanoha looked at her wife in amused exasperation, "Love, I know that. Which is why I was more concerned over your relationship with Akko before we got married."

Eden snorted, "No danger there, neither of these uberwomen has ever shown even the slightest hint of sexual attraction for each other in nearly three decades. They like their woman a bit more soft and squishy than them."

Nanoha tilted her head to think about that then with a laugh she said, "You know you're right, and to make matters worse she's been trying to make me softer and squishier for years."

Eden laughed at this, Nanoha was a very fit woman, not as fit as Akko or Fate but she wouldn't doubt the woman would be able to break her in two if sufficiently provoked. Nanoha smiled and then took hold of her cowering wife, _my poor Fate-chan, I think it's time for me to show her I have finally gotten over my raging jealously when it comes to people who have touched her in the past._

Pulling on Fate's neck gently she pulled her down for a warm and loving kiss which left Fate breathless and dazed, the goofy grin clearly stating how much she had enjoyed it. Slightly love-drunk she said, "Now that I could go for again, Nanoha is definitely my type, no question about that."

The three others laughed at this pronouncement. Nanoha pressed a kiss to her slightly scarred temple and then whispered into her ear, "Mine."

Fate shivered and clutched at the woman in her arms, _heaven help me I love it when she does that._

After that the couples calmed down and less fraught topics were brought up and by the end of the evening everyone was relaxed and happy at having had such a splendid evening in company of good friends.

~"~"~"~"~


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Shortish Chapter again, sorry. I hope to wrap this story up soon then I can finish the one-shot that's been calling to me. It'll be pure NanoFate as I find I can't escape their cuteness. Oh I have given up fighting the NanoFate hijacking that seems to keep happening. Originally EinVi were supposed to be at the center of all this madness but it now appears the mamas will be. As they say no plan survives first contact with the enemy or in this case NanoFate, they do love to dominate. Well give me time to tweak my plans yet again as chapter ten is now just vague shadows in my mind. Read &amp; Review and if there are any suggestions on how to make Jail suffer please feel free to drop a line.

Disclaimer: I don't own MGLN. I did put Fate on my Christmas wish list but I doubt Nanoha will let me have her. I also doubt my husband would be very accepting of the idea. Sigh spoilsports.

~"~"~"~"~

Chapter Nine

October 30th, 20XX

Trinidad, CA

After a leisurely breakfast in bed and spending a morning snuggling the newly minted couple decided to dress and go out. Einhart led the pliant Vivio into the large bath and took her time in _helping_ her wash which lead to a longer than normal shower. As they exited the shower and Vivio carefully wrapped herself in a plush towel she looked at her lover who was now glowing with pleasure. In a voice of disbelief she said, "Einhart I thought you said we were going out. I'm not complaining about any of this but if we are going out then we need to have more self control."

Einhart's dark eyes gleamed with mischief as she said, "Self control hmm? Is that what you were exercising when you pressed me against the tile wall in there? Or was that what was you were doing when I was trying to get out of bed this morning and suddenly I found myself being held down by a blonde dervish?"

Vivio blushed, "I did say _We_. I am not the only one with a problem in keeping my hands to myself."

Einhart smirked, "Hands, lips, tongue, not to mention the teasing that comes from when you press your body into mine and wriggle."

As she spoke she came closer to the blushing girl and nuzzled her cheek with her own. Vivio's breathe stuttered and she leaned into the taller form. Einhart felt her heart shudder in pure bliss; Vivio was hers, all hers. In a breathy voice she said, "I am going to get our clothes ready, stay in here until I call you. Seeing you standing around in just a towel is not conducive to me controlling my libido."

She then pulled away and left the blonde in a daze. A few minutes later a voice called out and Vivio came out to a fully dressed Einhart and a set of hiking clothes laying out on the bed. Vivio felt her stomach flutter at the sight of Einhart in the sport wear. She always looked delicious in such clothes, even more so when she had a sheen of sweat on her after a workout. Einhart gave her some privacy to dress by retreating back into the bathroom though the look in her eyes made it clear this was done reluctantly.

A few more minutes passed and then Vivio called out to Einhart she was ready and the green haired girl exited the bath eyes hungry to take in her partner. The pink long sleeve Crew top hugged her curves as did the black nylon/spandex mix trail pants, her hiking boots matched her outfit being black with pink accents. Einhart wanted to rip her out of the outfit and do so many things but she took a deep breath and smiled instead. Hands now firmly clasped behind her she said, "You look beautiful, I…I think I'm going to have problems controlling myself today but seeing you like this is worth it."

Vivio blushed, "Ein, we both know you're a hundred times better looking than me. You look like something out of a fashion magazine. I think I'm going to need one of those sticks hikers use to beat the guys off you when get wherever we're going."

Einhart strode purposefully over to her companion and eyes hot with suppressed passion she growled in the blonde's ear. "No one is more beautiful than my Vivio. And if anyone bothers us today I swear they'll be wishing I had a stick with what I'll do to anyone who tries to break into my Vivio time. I also swear there'll be nothing but a grease stain if anyone tries to hit on you."

The dark eyed girl then pressed a quick but possessive kiss on her lover and then pulled away grasping her hand to lead her to their rental car.

Einhart's secret destination the nearby Redwood National Park was just a short drive away from their coastal B&amp;B. Once checked in the pair took one of the many trails through the majestic woods. The ancient trees invoked a sense of awe and wonder in the couple as they walked through it. It was a day of relaxation and peace, quiet conversation and sharing a warm grip as they took in nature's beauty. Both unaware of the dangers currently hanging over their heads which this impromptu trip had delivered them from. Nor of the lengths their mothers were now taking on their behalf to protect them.

~"~"~"~

October 29th-30th

Los Angeles, CA

Fate was angry, she was livid that the man sitting before her would allow his own sick perversions endanger her family. In a cold voice she dismissed the man from his position on the board, when he protested she pulled out her credentials. When Testarossa Corp went public it had been a necessary evil so as to be able to change certain bylaws and inheritance clauses but neither Fate nor Arf were stupid enough to allow majority ownership to ever fall out of their hands. Behind the scenes through many various quasi-dummy corporations the women owned nearly eighty-seven percent of the company. Now was the time to call on their hidden power and cut the dead and rotted wood which was now becoming a cancer on not only their company but their very lives.

The first day had been one of reviewing the evidence uncovered, contacting her friend in the FBI and planning with her assistants and her new liaison their method of attack. Jail Scaglietti's actions crossed state lines in many instances as the so called clean up jobs he did for his granddaughter required her leftovers to be disposed a far distance from the scene of the crime. Once the plan of action was settled and appointments made with each board member for the following day she left for her planned dinner and relaxation but even through the laughter the dark deeds haunted the back of her mind.

Of the eighteen person board that oversaw Testarossa Corp eleven had been compromised in such ways as to make them nothing more than Jail's willing puppets. Powerful men and women of high intelligence and ambition reduced to their basest natures by greed, lust and hubris. Fate's faith in mankind was sorely shaken by what had been reveled about each of the board members. When confronted with evidence of their wrong doing and an officer of the law present some screamed, some cried, some begged and pleaded but in the end nearly all of them all left Testarossa Corp in handcuffs. Those that didn't leave in chains was not due to mercy but because while their actions were vile and reprehensible they were not strictly speaking illegal.

Two days, two days of wading through the muck people had allowed themselves to descend into and confrontation. The last person was woman who had used her power over her subordinates to compel them into having illicit affairs with her, both men and women. She had tried to use her own body as a bargaining chip in avoiding justice but Fate was beyond disgusted by the woman trying to play on her sexuality. Restraining herself from slapping the woman she just walked out of the room after speaking in a harsh voice to the officer, "Take her away."

In the side room Fate held herself tightly and closed her eyes, _Nanoha._ She clung to the thought of the woman she loved. Soon she'd be with her again and wash her soul in her calming smile. Soon she'd be able to cling to her warm form and allow herself to lean on someone else's strength, allow some small crack in her armor and trust her lover to guard her tortured soul. Fate felt her body's shakes level off and she turned back to the conference room, she still had work to do.

~"~"~"~

Vice had followed the women to the upscale Alphonse Hotel where the after party for the Lost Logia © Finale Gala would be held. The luggage they brought in with them innocuous looking while they looked every bit the high class socialite who might frequent such a hotel. When they left the room in the evening he made his way into the room, overriding the electronic lock and ignoring the 'Do Not Disturb' sign.

The room looked normal enough at first glance then when the small valise on the nightstand was opened the first inkling of the horrors planned were reveled. Clamps, various prods and strange electrical devices sat snuggly in the velvet lined case. The bed had been subtlety altered, hidden beneath the Egyptian cotton sheets and downy comforter were steel rings fastened to the legs of the bed which could be used to anchor someone to the bed. In the nightstand itself was a collection of lubricants and aphrodisiacs that would leave the user mindless and powerless to resist their assailant.

In the larger suitcases was a collection of video equipment and some of the kinkiest leather outfits the former soldier had ever seen. Under the outfits were more exotic sexual toys which could be strapped on, many of them looked too big to the hardened soldier to even begin to believe someone would try to use on another being. Thinking to himself as he swallowed back his bile, _What the fuck have I walked into this time?_

Taking photos of everything he then left the room as he had found it. Calling up his employer he shivered at the thought of what the woman would think upon seeing what was planned for her daughter. Nanoha Takamachi-Testarossa was a formidable woman whose temper he had tried to push with his deliberate asinine behavior in an attempt to learn how serious she was in her objective. She hadn't risen to his bait for which he was unbelievably thankful and also more than a bit scared. _What the hell could she be facing that she'd allow herself to be treated in such a manner?_

He had done his homework on the woman and knew for a fact when pushed the woman was more than capable of breaking him. Regardless of having been retired from acting for over a decade the woman was the wife of a martial arts mistress and the daughter of a master. Between the two she had been kept in shape and probably was in better condition now than she had been at any other time in her life. Now having seen the evidence of what the Scaglietti sisters were planning he felt more than a sliver of fear for not only his own life in having to present the evidence to her but also for those women. As he spoke to the seemingly mild mannered woman and arranging a time and place to meet he rubbed at his chest, the tightness there growing with his trepidation.

~"~"~"~

Vice was unsure about the wisdom of entering the actual Takamachi-Testarossa suite, would Fate be there? What would happen if she came in during their discussion and she wasn't expecting him? Knocking on the door he fell back on his old military training and stood ramrod straight and held tight to his threadbare courage, both freaking women were terrifying.

The tall red eyed woman who answered the door looked at him with cool dispassion. Fate's patience was already exhausted, this man better be on his best behavior or find out how much a bitch she could be. Her soft alto voice had an edge to it as she spoke, "Please come in Mr. Granscenic."

His auburn haired employer was sitting on a couch drinking a cup of tea, she looked pale and tired. The man felt his animal instinct kick in, _Do not screw around this time Vice old buddy; these women are already on the edge._

The married couple sat close to each other on the couch, Fate held her wife's right hand with her left, her thumb rubbing the back of her hand in soothing circles. The blonde then took a deep breath before asking, "So what have you found?"

He presented the photographic evidence he had and transcripts of conversations where illicit drugs had been purchased in the past few days. Fate's brow wrinkled and she sat back on the couch, she was holding on to her temper by the barest of measures. Only the warm hand holding her own kept her tethered to rational thinking. Jaw clenched she said, "Nanoha, please call Garyu. I can't. He will deal with this."

Nanoha was still staring at the photos feeling a myriad of emotions that had struck her dumb and stunned. Hearing the name her wife spoke broke her out of her stupor, "Garyu-sama? Isn't this a bit below his pay grade, shouldn't we call Hakutenou-san?"

Fate's strained face turned to her wife, "Garyu is best, he will make sure none of them escape. He already knows something is going on, he is the one I coordinated all the arrests with at Testarossa Corp, he is making sure none of them wriggle out using money or some other kind of leverage. As a SAC he will put his best people on the case and likely oversee the pickup himself. I don't want any mistakes, he owes the Testarossa family a blood debt, its time he fulfilled that debt."

Nanoha shivered at the cold harshness in her wife's voice, the mention of a blood debt surprised her, what and when had this occurred? Curious she asked, "Blood debt?"

The blonde turned away and rolled her shoulders, "His daughter, if not for us she'd be dead; I will not speak further than that. I have ensured she will have a healthy and fruitful life, it is now his turn to ensure mine has the same."

Sapphire eyes still looked worried but now determined, "I'll be right back."

The grip between them was broken and Nanoha walked into their room to make the call. While she was away Fate turned her attention to the man before her. Teana had told her how he had treated her wife and now she wanted him to squirm. She knew her eyes could be disquieting; she'd played a demon more than once in her life after all. The man felt the force of her displeasure through her cold ruby eyes, if there had ever been a moment when she had looked more like her dead sister than her normally genial self it was now.

Vice shifted in his seat and as the pressure built he felt his courage fail, stammering he said, "Ah…I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have messed with your wife. It was disrespectful, I'm sorry."

Fate continued to stare at him silently. The man began to sweat.

When Nanoha walked back into the room the man jumped to his feet and bowed low to her and apologized profusely for his prior behavior then excused himself in a rush. The mad dash he made to the door was almost enough to make Nanoha laugh, she gave instead a small snort of dismissal, _At least he was good at his job._

The situation was much too dire to allow humor any room for Fate, she continued to sit broodingly. Nanoha turned to her glowering wife, seeing the ridge stance she shook her head, "Fate-chan, I'm supposed to be the scary one in this relationship, White Devil, remember?"

Fate looked up at her wife and the hard look in her eyes made Nanoha's breathe catch as a flood of bad memories seemed to inundate her mind. For an instant the Dark Angel who had cut her off so many years ago was sitting before her. Seeing the look of confusion and heaven help her fear in Nanoha's eyes made Fate look down and covered her face with her hands.

In a muffled voice she spoke, "I'm sorry Nanoha. This whole situation is so unsettling, it's making me think of what my grandfather used to say to me. 'Testarossas don't take prisoners, we don't believe in turning the other cheek. If someone pricks us it is our duty to spike them.' For the first time in my life I really feel like that makes sense, that scares me."

Nanoha had seen more new sides to her wife in the past month than she had in the past decade. The woman she'd come to know and rely on was just one facet of this complex and often emotionally volatile woman. Yet as quickly as Fate could turn frigidly cold or fiercely hot she would surrender to Nanoha's calming touch and it was that knowledge which the sapphire eyed woman depended on. As long as she could reach Fate's true heart then they could work through anything together. Sitting down next to her wife she pulled the blonde into a tight embrace.

Whispering into the blonde's hair Nanoha confessed, "That sounds a lot like something my dad would say. Daddy has always believed in pre-emptive strikes too. When you know your enemies are plotting against you why wait and let them hurt you? Fate-chan, if you were plotting the downfall of someone for monetary gain or to gain some greater control of power then I'd be worried. But you're doing all this in an effort to protect our family; you are even keeping to entirely legal means. True the men we've hired to check the situation have less than reputable backgrounds but we didn't hire them as hit men. You have no reason to feel guilty or confused over this situation. Jail Scaglietti created this situation and we are responding to it as any loving and responsible parents would, with both barrels blasting."

Fate listened to her wife's words and allowed some of the tension in her to seep out of her. Snuggling into the warm crook of Nanoha's neck she nuzzled her when she finished speaking, and then said in a tired but now slightly humored voice, "Hmm, well the White Devil always did believe there was no such thing as overkill. I should be thankful I married a woman who isn't squeamish."

Nanoha smiled at the touch and words she then squeezed her wife gently and said passionately, "I love you Fate-chan. We'll get through this together; we'll protect our girls and make sure that man and his vile offspring never hurt anyone again."

Warmth flooded the blonde's body and in a fit of need she lifted her wife and pulled her into her lap. Nanoha gasped at the sudden movement but quickly settled into her wife's embrace and held Fate's head to her breast. She could feel hot tears begin to soak her blouse and knew fear and anger at the situation was fueling them. Nanoha let one of her hands begin to stroke long blonde hair as the other kept a tight grip on the shaking form that clung to her. The touch and quiet words of love and comfort slowly lulled Fate into sleep.

Nanoha feeling Fate's breathing even out and her clutch loosen shifted so they could lay together on the couch. After the emotionally exhausting past two days and a nearly sleepless night a nap was more than needful. Pulling one of their youngest daughter's travel blankets over them she settled Fate more securely against her and allowed herself to fall asleep. Her last thought, _Garyu-sama better keep a handle on this, heaven only knows what will happen if Fate has to get directly involved._

~"~"~"~"~

October 31st

FBI Special Agent in Change Garyu had his best people swarming all over the Alphonse Hotel; the rooms surrounding the would-be torture chamber were now filled with monitoring equipment and agents. Of the three women who had been seen going in and out of the room two had rap sheets as sex workers and for drug possession. The third had been identified as Quattro Numeri. One of the younger agents was appalled by the idea of the young actress being in such company.

Then the bugs in the room picked up a conversation between the women and it became clear Quattro was the one in charge and had no qualms in using the two other women for her own pleasure. A few minutes into the session the real horror amongst the naïve agents struck when a background check brought to light that the two women Quattro was current using were her younger sisters. When the moans began to turn into screams the agents felt their blood run cold, _what the hell was going on in that room?_

SSA Hakutenou turned his gaze to his commander and silently asked permission to move in. The man listened to screams and wondered if the girls currently being tortured would file charges or if instead they'd say they were willing participants. _That's their sister doing god only knows what to them, will saving them in the end do nothing more than tip our hand and allow that viper to escape?_

He shook his head and the men and women in the room turned from him. Faces pale and sickly, in the end the girls thanked their torturer for the brutal treatment. That in itself made the listeners shudder in disgust and reinforced the seriousness of the situation. These women got off on pain, both on giving and receiving it, they must be stopped no matter what.

SA Ixpellia King took her job seriously that combined with having the same basic build and a more than passing resemblance to Einhart Testarossa-Harlaown had made her a shoe in to impersonate the missing heiress. With expert makeup, contacts and a quick dye job to her hair she found herself looking so much like the young starlet that her co-workers were teasing her about being the girl's future body double on film. She blushed at this, having normally secluded herself in white collar cyber crime, rarely leaving her stuffy cubical.

Ix stayed close to her assumed family and tried not to act too jumpy when she saw Quattro approach her. She hadn't been party to the woman's earlier playtime but there was something feral in the woman's eyes that made her wary. Playing hard to get wasn't difficult, the cutesy way Quattro tried to behave was belied by her dark aura and made Ix want to call the whole thing off. Eventually it was confirmed the actress had slipped something into her drink and she then made a show of drinking the tainted beverage and allowing herself to appear to become woozy. The smiling Quattro took her arm and told her in a sweetly menacing voice that she'd take care of her.

Entering the hotel room with Quattro Numeri was perhaps one of the bravest and stupidest things Ix had ever done. Almost the instant she was behind a closed door the woman jabbed her with a hypodermic needle and then suddenly she wasn't playing at being woozy. She really was now disorientated and utterly helpless. She let out a pitiful moan of distress when she saw two women exit the bathroom dressed in the most outrageous leather outfits she'd ever seen. They had just placed the last cuff on her to strap her to the bed when the door flew off its hinges.

With the hinges also went Quattro Numeri's career, freedom and usefulness to her grandfather. The old man had spies everywhere and knew almost the instant his granddaughters were arrested. A chambermaid who just happened to be making her rounds saw it all and sent her generous employer a quick text message. Knowing that Quattro was compromised meant ultimately so was he, eventually all the chickens would come home to roost and he'd be caught. Anger filled him at this coup against him and he decided, _if I'm going down, I'm going to take that bitch and her precious family down with me._

The FBI agents searched the building and had thought they had all the exits guarded but the wily old fox known as Jail Scaglietti had slipped out of their net. The next time he resurfaced they would be sorely grieved they had let him escape.

~"~"~"~"~

Fate was sitting in her hotel room, the party was over but the strain of knowing Jail Scaglietti was out there somewhere was still hanging over them all. She wanted to rage, to scream but in the end all she could do was sit and stare at her hands. _How long until he pops up and everything goes to hell in a hand basket?_

Nanoha watched Fate carefully, taking in the tension of her shoulders the slight tremble to her hands, the almost blank expression on her face. Coming to America wasn't supposed to be torture for her wife but a celebration, a chance to recapture the few happy memories she had of her youth. _Damn Scaglietti to hell, if I ever get my hands on that man…_

There was a knock at the door and Nanoha jumped from her dark thoughts, making her way to the door she tried to cool her head. Upon opening the door and seeing SAC Garyu she frowned in worry, the man seeing this grimaced. In his gravelly voice he asked, "May I come in? I have some news."

Nanoha stepped back and waved him in; he quickly took in the stolid figure of Fate on the couch and sighed. He came up directly in front of her and knelt; taking her hands in his own he caught her attention. Her eyes took in his weary state but she could not find a drop of empathy she could spare for him. Seeing this Garyu spoke in as gentle and reassuring tones as possible, "Fate I know tonight didn't go exactly as planned but we will catch Scaglietti, I swear to you on that. I just got a report back from my teams that were checking out his house and office; we got enough to put him away for a very long time. We've frozen his accounts and have an APB out on all his known vehicles, he won't get far."

Fate frowned, "That's what I'm afraid of."

She shook off his grip and began to pace the room, in a voice of anguish she spoke her fears aloud, "He's not running away Garyu. He knows he's been caught and if there is one thing I've learned from my grandfather is if you're going to go down take as many of the bastards who put you down with you. This is a lesson passed down along with all the other sneaky backstabbing methods of getting ahead of one's competition. When the first Testarossas came to America they already had a history of being power hungry megalomaniacs. If it wasn't for my wife I'd most likely be the worst of the lot. But instead the title of worst Testarossa descendant can now be given to Jail Scaglietti. When he finally pops up it will be for some grand gesture, some great finale where he will strike back and ensure any victory we have over him will be a Pyrrhic victory at most."

The man took in her words and began to think of ways of ensuring his friend and her family's protection. He sat with the couple for hours going over procedures and safe guards. He made calls to his team and by the time he left it was dawn, looking at the rising sun he sent up a silent plea, _Please, please if there is any justice in the world let us catch this man before he causes anymore harm._

~"~"~"~"~

Jail was on the run but if anyone saw him at the moment they'd never have recognized him. His long purple hair was now a short crew cut dyed black while his yellow eyes were hidden behind brown contacts. His normally sharp suit was replaced with plain khaki pants and a button-up shirt, gone was the millionaire businessman. He looked every bit a lower middle class traveler who had every right to be pulling out a travel case from the long term lockers in the Greyhound bus terminal. Walking the few blocks from the terminal in the rather shady neighborhood could have been dangerous but the aura the man gave off made the street savvy steer clear of him.

He came to a seedy bar and found the rare pay phone that actually worked in the back. Calling for a cab he waited at the bar with a glass of cheap liquor. When the cab arrived he had it take him to the airport but instead of going to the ticket counter he walked to the long term parking lot. There he found his ace in the hole, a late model sedan painted a discrete tan with nothing to distinguish it from any other sedan on the roadway. The vehicle was registered to a fake alias which he created decades ago. The man now driving the vehicle had a full history, tax records, hospital records, credit reports, employment history; it was an identity to disappear into. Getting into the vehicle in a nonchalant manner he paid the automated teller machine in cash and disappeared into the night.

Jail now had his hidden stash of money, false ids, transportation and his precious "Apocalypse Package" that he had his special contact create in case he ever was forced into a corner. He could very well disappear into the night, let the Testarossa's have their victory while their pet G-men hunted for him and came up empty. But that would mean admitting defeat and living on the run. His pride wouldn't allow it, if he couldn't have Testarossa Corp no one would.

It was now just a matter of setting up his final act of defiance and making sure he had a front row seat to the utter destruction of Fate Testarossa and her damnable family. He would lay low for a few days then begin to spread his cash around to the weak links he had discovered over the years. Through their weakness he would gain access to all the sacred places the Testarossas held dear and then he'd plant his package and once the family was gathered he'd walk in and bring it all to an end. It would soon be time for the curtains to close on his final act.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Things are heating up and Jail is making Fate's life miserable. This chapter is pretty ugly in what happens to the family but it just flowed out of me…does this make me evil? I mean I wrote all this in like one night, all the evil ideas just floated up like flotsam and jetsam. This is all leading up to the final confrontation which I'm still vaguely plotting. I hope everyone enjoys Nanoha's bit, I know I did.

Read and Review please, I live on warm fuzzies and ice cream and you guys can't leave me ice cream.

Disclaimer: I do not own MGLN; at this point Nanoha would have killed me if I did.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Chapter Ten

November 3rd, 4:45pm

Arf knew sometime was wrong the moment she got home. The beach house felt cold and there were shadows where none should be. She didn't enter the house but walked backwards carefully to her car. Her hands gripping her keys tightly as her eyes swept the driveway and sides of the house. Her heart pounding she reentered her car and locked the doors then scrabbled with her purse to find her cell phone.

Five minutes later the police arrived and checked the premises, the officers had been warned of the threat on the family and that the missing would-be assailant was likely armed and dangerous. Yet the rookie cop took the situation far too lightly and when he opened the closet door the explosion knocked him across the room as the flash flames scorched off his exposed hair and left him with 2nd degree burns on his arms and face. The house was then filled with Firefighters and EMS and once the injured man was removed the bomb squad entered to sweep the house. Two more small incendiary devices were found, the most dangerous of the remaining pair attached to the main gas line just waiting for the family to turn on the heater.

From a rocky outcrop less than a mile away a dark haired man watched the show through binoculars. He honestly hadn't believed he's get any of the family with this little attack; they did carry some Testarossa blood in them after all. They'd likely be as hard to kill as an infestation of roaches. The point was to rattle the family, the beach house was the place they had always held inner circle events. Normally only those closest to the Family had been allowed into this most sacred sanctum to celebrate familial events.

November 7th, 2:20pm

Teana had arrived back from a luncheon to her office to find a strange package sitting on her desk. Normally she'd pick it up and tear it open without a second thought as her wife was known to leave her small gifts from time to time. Today was not a normal day, stepping out of her office she asked her secretary about the package. The woman appeared confused; there shouldn't be a package in the office. At that point both women knew something was very wrong and had the building evacuated. Police and the bomb squad arrived within minutes and the package turned out to be a dud. Yet a disturbing package none the less, it contained photos of Teana and her wife at home and a bloody hunk of rotted meat. A note scrawled in feces said, 'Insignificant sycophant, you know they are just using you. Unwanted garbage never even allowed the family name. You're but a worthless tool not worth the effort to be destroyed.'

The whole thing was a calculated taunt on Teana's status in the family.

November 10th, 11:45am

Nanoha had just hung up the phone with her youngest daughter having had to explain once again why she and Fia were now to return to Japan without their parents or elder siblings. The girls would return to Japan in the care of their grandmothers the next day and there was no way parents or siblings were going to be able to say good bye in person, as much as that hurt them all. A knock on the door and call of room service alerted the hyperaware woman something was wrong. It had been agreed no servitors would be allowed in the room for the remaining days of their stay. Only after Sora and Fia were safe away would the mothers retreat to a less visible locale. By remaining in plain sight they hoped to deflect Jail's attention from the girls.

Nanoha looked about the room and picked up a collapsible police baton, not her preferred weapon but one she was rather good at wielding, much handier than her staff sitting uselessly back home in her closet. She walked over to the door to look out the peep hole and saw a cart sitting in front of the door abandoned, not daring to open the door Nanoha retreated from the door quietly and called for assistance. This time she was the decoy, redirecting attention from one of her children to herself. Across town the agent following Einhart was distracted by the call about the situation at the hotel. In that split second of inattention as the young woman made her way across the intersection to meet her lover for lunch a car zoomed out of nowhere and rammed into the heiress.

Years of conditioning and her own hyperawareness of the danger saved her life but the injuries were still enough to send her family into a terror. As the girl lay propped up in her hospital bed she tried her best to calm two very upset blondes as Nanoha dealt with the doctors in arranging her release. Her right fibula was broken; she had bruises up and down her entire body where she had literally bounced herself off the hood of the vehicle then impacted with the hard asphalt of the roadway. She had abrasions on her hands and on her forehead from when she hit the pavement at a roll. Which had led to the minor concussion and a torn ligament in her knee and ankle resulting from her poor jumping off and landing. Thankful for the leather jacket she had been wearing at the time which had protected her upper body from acquiring even more road burn than it currently sported.

Vivio was shaking with anger; someone had tried to kill her Einhart in a blatant attack in broad daylight. Einhart reached out bandaged hands to the girl and pleaded with her to come sit on the bed with her. Fate was already seating at the very edge of the foot of the body her had resting on the bruised toes sticking out of fresh cast. She wanted to be holding her child in a tight grip but knew that duty had now fallen to another. Fate watched as Vivio made her way over to Einhart in a jerky stiff legged fashion then shaking crawled onto the bed with the injured girl and pulled her in tight. Bright blonde hair now mixing with mint green hair as their heads bent together as they tried to mold themselves to each other.

Vivio never could stand it when Einhart was in pain, now she was faced with a seriously injured lover and was doing her best not to explode in rage. Knowing now was not a time to play chaperone she released her hold on Einhart and slipped out of the room to await Nanoha's return with the discharge papers. She could hear Vivo speaking in low tones to Einhart pledging to make the perpetrators pay for hurting her. Fate's back brain quipped to her in what sounded like Hayate's voice, _beware of Baby White Devil._ She shivered a bit at the voice, why was her subconscious peopled by her idiot cousins?

The young pair of lovers had returned after the bomb scare at the beach house but were staying in a local Testarossa property instead of the hotel with their mothers. Fate insisted on this point, there was no way she was going to allow her family to be bunched up together anywhere and give Jail the target he was looking for. Every second they stood in this hospital made her skin crawl with hypersensitivity to the increased risk they were in and putting innocent bystanders too.

If there could be any good news in all this madness, it was in light of the serial killer take down and the now domestic terrorist targeting the family the news of Vivio and Einhart being a couple was largely one of understated acceptance. Many of the media talking heads had pointed out it was obvious that they had been a couple for a while. They pointed out events in the past (from stock footage of them in Japan) that _proved_ they had been a couple for years and were now just admitting it to a wider audience. Fate had merely shrugged her shoulders at the strangeness of popular perception and let it go, the less trouble she had to deal with the better.

November 11th, 5am

The government vehicle scheduled to carry the two youngest Testarossas to the airport left the Santa Barbara residence as scheduled. The vehicle had only gotten as far as a mile down the highway when the vehicle in front of it dropped an object in the roadway, a police spike strip. The tires of the vehicle exploded and the driver lost control of the vehicle, it went careening into the concrete barrier and then flipped over the barrier landing heavily on its top and skidding several feet into oncoming traffic.

The children hadn't been in the vehicle, like hell Fate would leave the safety of her children to anyone but herself in such dire straits. After the attack of the previous day she arranged to pick up the girls herself just after midnight and drove them to the airport with two unmarked police vehicles guarding them in caravan. She placed the children on the plane herself with Lindy as escort. Precia was to remain behind to monitor Einhart's condition much to the girl's displeasure.

Once the children were gone they had hoped to flush out Jail with the government vehicle as bait, the dastardly attack on it on the highway had allowed the nondescript vehicle that had dropped the spike strip to evade detection. The agent driver of the vehicle was seriously injured and it was unknown whether he'd ever walk again. Fate sat in her hotel room head in hands feeling the weight of two lives destroyed because of her.

Nanoha crouched in front of her wife and lifted her head gently, with sympathetic eyes she took in Fate's distress. Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead she then spoke in as kindly a tone as she could, "Fate-chan this isn't your fault. Honey if those journals they discovered are true then Jail Scaglietti is the reason you nearly died and lost your father, sister and brother-in-law. He even wrote about how he and his father arranged something to _inconvenience_ your uncle. He is a madman; he has been targeting you and the rest of your family for decades. His obsession with the "main line" and "elder line" as he calls them even predates your birth so this cannot be your fault."

Fate sighed, "But I'm the one who involved the police and FBI in this matter. Yes, I know I did warn them about the danger but Nanoha two men have been robbed of their livelihoods and health thanks to this mess. I can't just wash my hands of this and tell myself, 'oh well that's how the cookie crumbles,' or some other such nonsense."

Nanoha sighed in return at the pure Fateness of this conversation. Fate would always want to take on responsibility for fixing things no matter the circumstances. Pressing her forehead to her wife's and looking her straight in the eyes she said, "Then do whatever your conscience dictates to help them. I know money can't fix things but it can make their lives easier, find the best doctors to help them, we have the resources to help them, use them."

The blonde smiled weakly at this and shifted her head so it now rested against Nanoha's shoulder, "I love you Nanoha. I don't know what I'd do without you."

The auburn haired woman smiled and pressed her lips to silky blonde hair and whispered into her wife's ear, "If I have my way you'll never have to worry about that, I plan to be by your side until the day we die."

Fate smiled at that, her twitching lips tickling her wife's neck. In a huff Nanoha asked, "What's so funny Fate-chan?"

Pulling away so ruby could meet sapphire Fate gave her wife a grateful smile, "You actually plan for us to die on the same day don't you? You know I wouldn't survive a day without you, as selfish as this is going to sound, I don't think even our children could make me want to carry on. I'd just have to be reminded of what I lost every time I looked Sora in the eyes or saw Fia's hair or heard Vivio's laugh, or Einhart gave me that look of yours that says I'm being ridiculous. Does that make me a horrible parent?"

Nanoha had tears in her eyes, "Yes and no love, yes because they are our babies and I would hope you would take care of them for me if anything happened to me. Make sure they grow up happy and remember me properly. Who but you could really tell them about me?"

Fate looked down guiltily; she never wanted to disappoint Nanoha but the idea of living a single day without her made her soul ache. Warm lips pressed to her temple, then even warmer words of understanding were spoken, "I also said no love. I couldn't blame you for not wanting to go on without me because I know if I lost you a huge part of me would die with you. I don't know if I'd be able to cope without you, how can hold you to a standard that I'm not even sure I could live up too?"

The arms wrapped about Nanoha tightened almost painfully, and Fate spoke gruffly, "Nanoha is stronger than me. I know she could carry on and make sure our children are taken care of. Ugh, I promise you Nanoha if the worst happens I will try to be as strong as I know you are and be a good mother to our children. But you have to understand no one will ever take your place in my heart, I couldn't stand the idea of even looking for a new lover if I lost you."

Squirming a bit to loosen Fate's death grip on her the auburn haired beauty laughed, "Nyahaha, Fate-chan if someone tried to make a move on you after I died I'd come back and haunt them to death. No one but me gets to be with Fate-chan."

November 14th, 9:00pm

Russell Testarossa-Wolkenritter was exhausted; he had spent the day fighting with investors and the media. The film Einhart and Caro had been working on had officially gone into hiatus due to the current debacle. Until it became safe for Testarossas to walk the street without fear then none of them were going to be allowing their movements to be scheduled and so easily monitored. He understood and fully agreed with his Aunt Fate's decision but damn if others weren't so understanding. They were Testarossas yes but they weren't invincible, they could be hurt and killed just like anyone else. Their family history proved that.

He was walking up a strangely tight and dark section of the aisle in the parking garage of his penthouse apartment complex when suddenly the lights of a vehicle came on right in front of him. He driver slammed on the gas and accelerated straight into young man. Ruff cursed and leapt onto the van that appeared to be blocking his escape. The high hood of the vehicle might have daunted any other man but Ruff had been a high jumper in high school and right now was life and death. Like a jungle cat he landed in safety mere seconds before impact. The vehicle continued its barreling pace out of the parking garage leaving a bruised and winded Ruff behind. The vehicle had clipped the van and a number of vehicles on its way out, he prayed the little pieces of the vehicle left behind would provided enough clues to track down these would-be killers.

November 17th, 6:00pm

Caro Ru Lushe was leaving the Philharmonic Hall, arms full with sheet music and her head even fuller with music. Despite knowing she was Fate's biological daughter for years she had never really taken in the full import of that fact. Fate was her godmother, a favorite aunt, an icon to be in awe of from afar. The idea of accepting the woman as mother had been too overwhelming and in a way it was a small cowardice which prevented her from accepting her fully. How could she ever hope to live up to Fate's reputation? She'd leave that foolhardy Vivio to attempt it, leave it to the graceful Einhart to on some days to appear equal to it.

She had just caught sight of her Mini Cooper and had clicked the alarm when the explosion hit. The girl had been a fair distance away from the vehicle still when she clicked the button but it had still done great damage to her. Her small frame was flung into another vehicle and the blunt force of the impact damaging internal organs and left her with fractured bones. The girl was slumped on the ground bleeding from her ears, nose and mouth when her fiancé who had been waiting nearby found her. The explosion had brought him running, his stomping footsteps and cries of alarm unheard by her busted eardrums as she lay on cold concrete.

On the other side of the city Quattro Numeri had been in the process of being transferred for arrangement. The alert and call for assistance at the site of the explosion sending the officers to scurry around like ants in an overturned anthill. When two more car bombs went off as the former starlet was being hustled into the courthouse everyone else ducked for cover, she ran to the flames. Hidden in the smoke was a running vehicle and she slid in like a thief then the vehicle took off into the now chaotic traffic, blending and merging until it disappeared.

November 18th, 3:00am

There was a seething anger and hopeless despair which griped the woman sitting quietly on the hard plastic hospital chair waiting to know if she was about to lose her daughter. Her anger was probably misdirected at the moment but whom else could she blame for the circumstances than the woman who should have protected her baby. When the regally beautiful blonde walked up to her there was a slump to her shoulders and hurt to her countenance which she'd never seen before, but that didn't matter, Fate Testarossa had no right to be weak at this moment.

Standing up and looking the red eyed woman in the eye she slapped her, "You did this. You let that monster get to my baby. You the big bad Testarossa who can do no wrong failed to do the one thing you swore to me you'd never fail in, protecting my baby. You did a good job protecting those brats you had with your cunt but my baby was left alone to defend herself."

Nanoha pushed herself between the two blondes and then getting a grip on Carim she yanked the woman into a private examination room. Throwing the woman against the examination table she then slammed the door and locked it. Her sapphire eyes blazing with electric heat and her hands fisted she came over to the taller woman and proceeded to shake the woman in time with her words.

"How dare you? How fucking dare you blame Fate for what happened? Caro had two bodyguards assigned to her, guards your daughter didn't want but Fate insisted she have. It was thanks to them that help got to Caro in a timely manner and they were able to render some first aide on scene which the doctors say may have saved her life.

Fate has the weight of her entire family's safety on her shoulders; she nearly lost Arf and Einhart already, we could have lost both our daughters in a car accident just days ago. That in addition to the attack on Russell which he was thankfully able to walk away from. Not to mention she also has the ruined lives of two officers on her conscience. Now she is dealing with nearly loosing Caro, a daughter she loves just as much as you do. A girl you neglected and ignored for years in your own selfish search for someone to take of you. You are the worst kind of hypocrite, how many times did you put her in danger with the drugs and shady people in your life?

You have no right to even claim Caro as a daughter; you failed her time and again. How many birthdays were you too drunk or high to remember? How many recitals did you miss while off getting screwed by such and such men or women? I don't know why the girl still loves you but she does, and it's that amazing capacity to love that proves she is Fate's daughter to me more than anything."

Letting the blonde go and straightening herself up Nanoha stood rigidly in front of the now cowering blonde, "Stay away from Fate. Don't speak to her; don't even look at her. I so much as see you sneeze in her general direction I swear to the heavens I will beat you into a bloody pulp. I will make what Robert did to you look like a joke. I swear to you Carim if you hurt my wife one more time I will kill you and make sure no one ever misses you."

November 20th, 7:15pm

Nanoha followed her police escort as she drove from the hospital to her temporary home, following made it so much easier to get there on the often confusing roadways versus dealing with her GPS. In a moment of caprice Arf had repurchased the home Fate had lived in before her accident and restored it to how Fate had originally kept it. It hadn't taken long to make those restorations so when the younger girls were safely gone they moved in the very next day. Nanoha had to admit the house and surrounding property was beautiful and in any other circumstances she might have enjoyed staying there and reminiscing with Fate about the times they had shared via phone, email or letter, how she had once imagined Fate puttering around this house.

She was coming up to a train track and suddenly the flashing lights and barrier arm came down causing her to stop and the police vehicle which had been leading her vehicle to be stuck on the other side of the barrier. Immediately she felt as if this was a set up and searched the darkness for any movement. Movement was quickly found and she suddenly remembered what had happened to Fate so many years ago in her stopped vehicle, _oh the fucker loves his irony._

The shadowy figure made its way over to the stopped vehicle as its partner made its way to the police vehicle. A soft click was the signal that the other was ready to proceed. In what should have been a double attack resulting in two deaths and a major victory for her master was now suddenly and terrifyingly being turned on its head. The vehicle was sitting idle and empty. Eyes dilated in fear trying to search the surrounding darkness for her target when smashing pain irrupted in her head.

As the figure crumpled to the ground the would-be victim gave it a swift kick to the stomach garnering an 'oomph' then the figure fell on its side coughing trying to catch its disrupted breath. The metallic clinking noise had alerted Nanoha that a weapon was now laying loose on the ground shifting she saw a glint and she kicked the gun into the tall weeds that grew on the side of the roadway.

It was then that she felt the cold pressure of another gun press into her temple and a strangely soft yet strong hand griped her throat. As the hand flexed on tender flesh bruisingly a teasing lilting voice spoke, "Oh my, what a feisty one we have here. I bet you keep lil' Fate-chan on her toes. Such a pity you're not really up to her standards. Don't worry once you're gone I'll take care of her. I'll make sure she isn't lonely without you."

Nanoha saw red, she didn't care about her own life or death at this moment all that mattered was protecting Fate from this monster. In practiced movements her body moved like quicksilver. She had never been that good at up close and personal grappling but she had a hell of a lot more experience at it than the woman who was trying to subdue her. She also had the added urgency of her raging heart which would not allow anyone hurt her Fate-chan.

The hand holding the gun found a spike of pain as it was knocked away and then there was a snap of a wrist bone being broken and a sickening pop of a shoulder being dislocated. She would have screamed but the sudden blast of pain to her face as a knee was driven into it caused her scream to come out as an interrupted groan. She then felt the explosive pain in her back as unexpectedly iron hard fists began to pummel her. When she collapsed next to the other dark figure that was trying to crawl away she tried to grab it and use it as a shield. The raging figure towering over them kicked at them to break them apart. A few more sickening snapping noises were heard as fingers broke.

It was only the sudden gun fire that made the seemingly unstoppable devil from pounding both the fallen figures into pulp. The first bullet made its mark in the officer who was now winding his way through the barrier. He fell with an audible thud. The other bullet missed its mark but was enough to make the enraged woman retreat behind her vehicle out of danger. The huddled and injured pair scurried to their feet, stumbling and leaning heavily on each other as they made their way to the hidden vehicle to make their escape.

Nanoha saw them flee and clenched her teeth in anger and screamed at them, "You better run you damn cowards, when I get my hands on you I'll make you pay for everything you've done to hurt my family. There won't be a bolt hole on Earth obscure enough to hide you from me. You think its funny targeting my wife and children well you'll learn what the fuck happens to people who mess with what belongs to the White Devil! I'll use every single one of my hellish tools to track you down. Be prepared for hellfire I'm coming for you!"

The roaring of an engine was all that was heard in response to this and then the squealing of tires as the vehicle made away into the night. Nanoha stepped out from behind her vehicle and ran to the fallen officer using his radio she called for help then kept pressure on his leaking wound. It appeared she'd be spending another night at the hospital whether she liked it or not.

November 22nd, 12:15pm

Fate really didn't know if she could feel any thankfulness at this moment. Two of her daughters were seriously injured, two more were in hiding with their grandmother not in Japan as originally was planned but in New Zealand. It had been but the work of a moment to make the change to the travel itinerary and get the girls to her former home in the wilds of New Zealand for safety sake. Only four people knew where the girls were at this very moment and none would tell even under torture. Then there was the fact her wife had been attacked and yet another officer was laying in a hospital bed thanks to this untenable situation.

On the bright side Caro had awoken and despite the pain she was obviously in tried to reassure Fate she didn't blame her for what happened. The young woman looked so much like a child again wrapped in gauze and hooked up to machines that Fate wanted to scoop up the small form and guard her from all harm and pain. But that wasn't her place, and in this case especially it really never had been if she was honest with herself. Robert and Carim had sworn to give any resulting child the best life they could provide when she donated her ovum. That had fallen through and she had had to step in and provide stability to her wobbly world. But now the foundation that the pink haired girl would be building her life on was a red haired man who had refused to move from her side. Looking at the couple she couldn't help but feel a surge of tenderness for them, _thank you god…heaven, whatever is out there, for Erio. I know we aren't enough anymore, if we ever were, me, Arf, Lindy, Precia, the girls, the boys, Nanoha, ha Carim, we couldn't give her the strength that boy does just by holding her hand._

Fate kissed her daughter's forehead and wished her a Happy Thanksgiving and gave the young man a soft hug before leaving for the planned dinner at Testarossa House. Today was the day they'd catch that bugger Jail Scaglietti, the family had agreed to be bait for this trap. Too many attacks had occurred, too many people hurt and threatened for them to sit back and hope Jail slipped up and was caught without them having to put themselves on the line.

She reviewed the security procedures Garyu had instituted at the house and felt their limitations. Not even the first layer of defense was much of a defense. The gate's security code had been changed but that meant nothing, so many people would still have access to the property due to its normal use as a tourist attraction. The house had been the inspiration for Hearst Castle in sheer opulence and grandeur. To keep the rooms presentable a staff of over two dozen people had to work inside the building daily. The building styled after the Venetian Doge's Palace with gardens in line with those of Versailles overlooking the ocean like a grand Emperor. The gardens themselves took a small army to maintain and they trooped in at all hours of the day. So many strangers who owed nothing to her and anyone of them could have a lever Jail already had a hand on.

Fate hated this house, it felt like the kind of place The Haunting of Hill House could be remade. To add to its creepy factor the house had an extensive subbasement used for storage, bomb shelter, wine cellars, and if tales were to be believed to hide contraband during Prohibition. So many hidden passages had been found by historians it was believed the original designer and owner had been planning for a house to allow any number of illegal activities to go on without fear of detection. It would be in one of these passages that the final package in Scaglietti's arsenal would be found. A package with enough C4 to level the house as it was situated at the very heart of the house's support system for the upper levels.

Jail Scaglietti wouldn't have known how well Fate knew this house, he wouldn't have known how desperately lonely a childhood the girl had had and how she had taken to exploring the subsections of the house making maps of her discoveries. She had poured over the original blue prints of the house and found the purposeful flaws in these and created her own. Her quick mind and flare for the arts giving her the ability to render near perfect blueprints at the tender age of eleven. She didn't enter the house by the front gate instead bypassed it by driving down to the waterfront a mile further down and then parking her vehicle in a sheltered dune.

Picking her way down to the rocky outcrop that made this area less than attractive to beach goers she quickly found the crevice in the stone and slid into it. She didn't need the flashlight in her bag, eyes closed she was fourteen again and running away from the pain and confusion in her heart. Her hands felt the familiar bumps of the rough stone and she made her way by touch to the entrance only she had known. It was how she had gotten in and out of Testarossa House without her grandparent, father or sister ever discovering her missing. She'd lock her bedroom door then slip down to the hidden passages until she found her lungs filled with salty air. She'd sit on that small stretch of rocky beach for hours in solitude and think, cry or even scream when it all became too much for her overwrought heart.

As she made her way through the tunnels she checked each of the structurally important spots for the house and then found the device. It was pathetically easy to disengage the device and then she placed it in her bag before retreating the way she came. She knew where Jail was hiding, he was such a flamboyant fool he couldn't help himself. The Saint's Cradle was one of the first hotels build by the Testarossa family in the burgeoning City of Angels, at the time it had been the crown jewel of the city and the height of opulence and style. It was where Theodore Testarossa was said to have killed his elder brother Stratos in an insane mockery of the Romulus and Remus myth. It was after his _beloved_ brother's death that he added his name to his own and consolidated the power of the family under his iron fisted rule.

The hotel was currently closed for historical renovations and while it had been swept initially after his escape he had since squirmed his way into the closed up building. He was now using it for his base of operations like some anti-hero guerrilla leader. It was such a pity Jail had taken such an interest in the building, after talking with the city leaders and historical society it was clear the old building was too far gone to be restored. Better they demolish the building and then Testarossa Corp would build a Youth Center in its place to provide the local children a safe place to hang out and receive help with their school work.

Fate drove to the hotel and slid into the building quietly, avoiding the angry voices of women arguing. She didn't care if these women were in the building when the bomb was detonated; they had helped Jail try to kill her family. She would feel no guilt for their spilt blood. She placed the bomb exactly where it would do the most damage and then slipped back out of the building. No one would know of her visit, if anyone had even suspected she'd found a bomb her entire plan would be foiled. The police would come here and confiscate it; never would this vengeance be allowed.

Stopping at a roadside rest stop she got out with her bag and changed clothes, the dusty and sand stained clothing was then disposed at the bottom of the garbage can. She now worn a fresh identical outfit which she gave a quick tug to make sure it all sat straight and then she went back to the car where she then took it through a car wash and paid extra for the undercarriage to receive an extra thorough cleaning. Perhaps there would be evidence of sand on the vehicle but she'd make a point to take a day trip soon to the beach and that would account for any sand on the vehicle. When she finally arrived at the front gates again she pressed the security code and proceeded down the gravel driveway to the great house and hopefully the endgame with Jail Scaglietti.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay guys I admit it I jumped the gun a little but then I looked at what I wrote and realized I can still make this work. My subconscious must have realized I was skipping steps since I never wrote that Vivio and Einhart were engaged or fiancées in the last chapter or anyone assuming such a relationship between them. I hope you like the way I ahem saved the situation.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. No claim of ownership of MGLN characters being made.

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Chapter Eleven

November 22, 3:15pm

Nanoha was standing at the window in a second floor receiving room to watch the distant traffic passing the front of the majestic house. For a fleeting moment she had thought she had seen Fate's vehicle pass by hours ago but it couldn't have been her, otherwise the blonde would already be by her side. She held herself tightly; the anxiety of being separated from her wife at a moment like this was wearing down her nerves. Then thump-thump of crutches resounded for a moment in the hall and a small knock on the door gave her added urgency to pull her frazzled nerves together.

"Come in Ein-chan," her voice was bit more high pitched than normal but at least it was even.

Of late the girl had been skittish around her but with everything else going on it had been hard to find a moment to talk let alone figure out how to start a conversation. The green haired girl looked Nanoha up and down then her eyes searched the room and finding no one else about stepped in and locked the door behind her. Nanoha seeing this frowned and asked, "What's going on Sweetie?"

Dark heterochromatic eyes turned to her with a seriousness that went beyond her normal stoicism. Einhart then said in a formal tone, "Takamachi-Testarossa-san may I have a word with you?"

Nanoha's eyebrows flew up at this and drove thoughts of her missing wife to the back of her mind. Waving a hand to the wingback chairs in the room the pair sat down. The tension coming off Einhart was nearly palpable. She swallowed hard then in her formal tones asked, "Takamachi-Testarossa-san I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

The girl held Nanoha's eyes but a faint blush began to bleed into her cheeks. Nanoha knew at that moment Einhart was all Fate's child, the girl was acting just like Fate had when she had asked her father for her hand. Laughing would not be appreciated. Coughing to clear her throat of a laugh and to allow her a moment to collect herself then she sat up more properly. Fighting a smile she made her face appraising, she couldn't help teasing the girl just a little; she was her father's daughter after all.

She asked in an equally formal tone, "Einhart-san if you had real feelings for my daughter why am I just now being sought for my blessing? You have been carrying on with her for nearly a month, I've even heard whispers about an engagement but no ring has appeared on my daughter's hand."

Einhart's blush became a full beet-red flush, looking down at her hands she stammered for a bit then rambled out, "It's true I asked Vivio to marry me a couple of weeks ago and she accepted but then all these incidents occurred. Before when we were away together I couldn't find a suitable ring. We went shopping but nothing seemed good enough for her and I wanted it to be perfect. Takamachi-Testarossa-san please, I have the ring now but I know I have to ask permission before I put the ring on her finger officially, it's the proper thing to do."

Looking up desperately she pleaded, "Please Nanoha-san, please give us your blessing. Fate-san has already done so. She even helped me find the perfect ring."

Nanoha was a bit unbalanced by the whole conversation now, _Fate-san? Nanoha-san? What the hell? Does fifteen years of being a mother to the girl mean nothing?_

Tilting her head in exasperation she then shook her head, "Why?"

Einhart blinked in confusion, "Excuse me, why what?"

Nanoha looked at her with a hint of frustration; she wanted to know why Einhart was acting so damn formally with her, it was one thing to want to do things properly but for heaven's sake she was as much her mother as she was Vivio's. Sixteen years she'd been in her life didn't she trust her enough to come to her and just say, _Mama we are in love and want to get married, will you give us your blessing?_

Sitting forward she bore into the young woman's eyes with her own then asked, "Why do you want to marry my daughter? Why should I trust her to you when it's obvious to me that you have the ability to cut familial ties at the drop of the hat? How can I believe you will be there for her when you have shown not only me but Fate-chan so much disrespect by not using our proper titles?"

Einhart flinched at the tone and the words as if slapped then realizing the enormity of the words she gasped, "Oh no, I didn't mean for this to come out as an insult. I…I just want to do things properly; I don't want anyone to say we just rushed into things. I love Vivio with all my heart and I want this whole thing to be perfect. Fate-uh um she understood why I was being formal. She's been my mother practically from the day I was born yet she didn't balk at being spoken to formally. Alicia Testarossa may have given birth to me but Fate…and you raised me, guided me into adulthood. I couldn't ask for better role models and as such I wanted to do things just like Fate did. I remember she asked Oji-san permission, she was incredibly nervous and I remember her rehearsing what she was going to say to him."

_Of course this is all Fate-chan's fault, my oh so perfect wife just had to set up these ridiculous standards in Einhart's head on what is necessary to properly ask for her lover's hand in marriage. To make matters worse for Einhart the person she has to ask is her second mother, how very confusing and unnerving this whole thing must be for her._

Sighing at the absurdity of the situation she let her frustration go as she rubbed her forehead then she smiled, "Einhart-chan, I give you my blessing. I'd be a fool to do otherwise, Vivio would hate me forever and Fate-chan would be so hurt. You make Vi-chan so very happy and that's all I can ask for. I've seen the way she looks at you but more importantly I've seen the way you look at her, hmm-hmm you two are just like Fate-chan and me. Hopelessly and completely head over heels in love."

The girl then slumped in her chair in pure relief. Nanoha's smile grew as she observed, "You are so much like Fate-chan, but honey you know all this formally wasn't necessary, I would have preferred it if you had just come to me with Vi-chan and just said something like, 'please give us your blessing.'"

The girl sat up and met Nanoha's eyes, "I I want Vi to be able to look back and remember this whole thing with some pleasure. How happy does it make you to remember Fate agonizing over talking to Oji-san? "

Nanoha couldn't help the twitch of her lips at this, _yes it makes me very happy thinking about that day._

Einhart smiled at her smile and continued, "Heaven knows Scaglietti's actions have already put a damper on our getting together. It feels like the whole thing has been overshadowed by what that stupid man is doing to us. I was planning to ask her officially when all the family is here for Christmas as I had hoped all this garbage would be settled by then. But that plan was before my little incident and what happened with Caro. I don't want to wait anymore; I want the world to know how much she means to me. If I die tomorrow I want her… everyone to know I was serious, marrying her is my greatest ambition in life."

Nanoha stood up and went to her…huh?…future daughter-in-law. Standing over the young woman she asked with a hint of fiendish glee in her eyes, "So does this mean you'll finally be taking on the Takamachi name? Vi already carries the Testarossa name, so it seems only fair."

Einhart groaned and tried to melt into the floorboards, "Isn't my damn name long enough as it is?!"

Nanoha finally let her laughter loose at this, and Einhart looked up at the older woman at first shocked by the laughter then with a look of horror she declared, "You're teasing me! You…you…"

Nanoha pressed a finger to Einhart's lips and teased further, "Careful now, I wouldn't recommend upsetting your mother-in-law-to-be, after all I have some pull with your…hmm…Aunts Fate and Arf…I could make this whole process very tedious. You said you wanted things done properly and I could see to it that all the old formal traditions of the Testarossas are dragged out and applied to this wedding."

Einhart felt the outraged heat in her flee at this daunting thought leaving her feeling cold and shivery. According to legend Alicia Testarossa's wedding had been more complex than a naval combat invasion. The horrible part was that wedding had been relatively small for a Testarossa wedding, only three hundred persons in attendance. With Nanoha in charge the guest list could balloon to three or four times that easily. Nanoha would use this event as an excuse to invite anyone who ever worked with Fate in the least capacity just to make it a monstrous event with Arf giggling madly beside her, ugh!

The only saving grace she had in regards to tradition was many couldn't be applied to two women getting married. By _tradition_ the family was Catholic but other than being baptized the family rarely had anything to do with any church or religion due to them more agnostic than atheists. Alicia had insisted on many of the old traditions being carried out so the wedding ceremony had taken over two hours. Their lack of church attendance not hampering the local archbishop one bit in authenticating the event. For that marriage many of the ancient rites had been dusted off after a suitable amount of donations and public goodwill had been shown to the local church parish.

As for her adoptive mothers' wedding while small and exclusive it too had been a nightmare in planning and execution if tales were to be believed. All Einhart could remember in regards to planning and execution was her dress fitting and being pointed down the aisle with directions to drop flowers as she went along. But if Nanoha used all her hellish tools on Fate the woman would roll over and be led by the nose no matter how tedious it made the event for everyone else, brides included. Again she thought bitterly Arf would go along just out of her twisted sense of humor, the woman loved to tease them and making their wedding day the equivalent of a State Event would be the height of evil hilarity in her books.

Suddenly wishing she hadn't come in here alone and had Vivio to fall back on she squirmed in her seat, _Vi please knock on the door, save me! It so unfair Nanoha-mama never could stand up to seeing that girl's puppy eyes but me, it's like she uses me to build up her tolerance to Fate-mama's puppy eyes. *_

Swallowing what little pride she had when it came to conceding anything for Vivio's sake she said in a conciliatory tone, "Um right Nanoha-san. I know we would both appreciate any assistance in planning the wedding. As mother of one of the brides it is most definitely within your scope of interest to be by Vivio's side throughout the whole event."

Nanoha groaned then let out a half whine half laugh at this, "Ah-nyahaha enough! My heavens Ein-chan, I've been your second mother for over fifteen years, I don't want this marriage to change that. Speak to me just as you did before getting together with Vi, we're family, now just a bit more closely tied."

The dark eyed girl smiled in relief, she hadn't been sure how to act around Nanoha really. It was more than a little unsettling in her head to think of the woman as both her and Vivio's mother, but Vi had laughed at that thought. She pointed out that neither Fate nor Nanoha was biologically speaking her mother. She then went on that Einhart should just think of it as having a really great relationship with her mother-in-law. After all if say she had been adopted by Hayate instead of Nanoha (shudder) she'd be nearly as close to Hayate as she was with Nanoha just without the added weirdness that Fate's marriage to her adoptive mother brought up. So just forget about the awkwardness and just be happy they all got along so well.

Hearing Nanoha speak words to the same affect went along way to reliving her mind. Somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind she was still a bit worried that Nanoha thought this whole relationship was wrong. In the end Vivio had been right, their being together didn't change the way their respective adoptive mothers saw them. They were family. Carefully pulling herself out of her chair Einhart half hopped half hobbled closer to Nanoha and hugged the older woman, in a whisper she spoke, "Thank you so much Nanoha-mama."

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5:00pm

Nanoha had seen the vehicle pulling up the driveway and had rushed down the grand staircase so as to meet her wife in the entrance hall. She was beginning to understand why her wife hated this house, it was too big, too imposing and there were way too many places an assailant could hide. As the door opened she felt the rigid tension in her body stretch like a rubber band then it finally snapped and fled at the sight of Fate entering. She hadn't liked the idea of Fate going out alone this morning but understood the risk would have been greater by her accompanying her. When Fate leaned into her for a hug Nanoha noted something strange, the small stain on Fate's collar from her lipstick this morning was no longer there. Also her perfume seemed strangely faint like she had changed clothing. Suspicion that Fate was hiding something flooded her.

Fate could see the faint questioning look in her wife's eyes and knew if she let Nanoha think too hard she'd be the one most likely to figure out she was up to something beyond the plan formed with Garyu. A man who she had had to browbeat into removing her honor guard, telling him she'd never forgive herself if another of his officers were hurt on her account. This little piece of information had not been told to the rest of the family, if they had known she never would have been allowed out of the house alone. Feeling a bit guilty about what she was about to do but then again kissing her wife senseless was never a hardship. Giving her a warm look of growing desire she whispered, "I missed you," then captured her lips in a searing kiss.

Nanoha enjoyed the kiss but every warning bell she owned went off immediately, Fate was up to something, the woman was as transparent as glass after fifteen years of marriage. Don't want the Waifu to figure out she was up to no good, like sneaking extra cookies to the children, or running off to collect Hayate from some dive where she was face down drunk, kiss the cute little Nanoha silly then run like the wind. It might work in the short run but eventually she got the full story out of her wife, one way or the other. The woman was constitutionally incapable of keeping a secret from her, all she needed to do was be patient and Fate would deliver herself into her hands. But circumstances being what they were it was better if she knew now before it was too late to help or stop her wife.

Pulling away before Fate was done kissing her made the blonde whimper, "Nanoha."

"Nyahaha, Fate-chan most of our family is already here. Precia and Teana came together; Subaru is running late but is on her way. Arf and Zafira are somewhere in the house doing heavens knows what. Ruff is teasing the girls in the library. Baxter should be here any minute; he and his escort got stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway. Now as much as I've missed you today we need to behave ourselves. Do you really want to spend the evening being teased by Arf? Besides now is not the time to get distracted, I plan on nailing that animal Scaglietti to the wall."

Nanoha's tone had been teasing in the beginning but in the end there was a tension to it that belied her humor. Fate looked at her with worried eyes, and brushed her bangs back from her eyes with a gentle hand.

In a consoling tone Fate said, "Nano-love, I won't let him hurt you. I won't let any of his disgusting little minions near you again."

Fate's hand then dropped to her wife's neck and tenderly brushed the bruised flesh where Quattro had held her wife so briefly. In a voice of doom and eyes growing distant she said, "Quattro Numeri will pay with her life for touching you. I'm going to make sure she suffers for hurting you. She's going to regret the very day she was born after I'm done with her."

Nanoha reached up to cover her wife's hand and pulled it to her lips. After placing a tender kiss to the palm she smiled, "Fate-chan, I highly doubt Quattro has the ability to hurt anyone right now, at least not without assistance. I was so angry at her for saying she was going to touch you I'm pretty sure I broke more than one of her bones and dislocated her shoulder. She'll be lucky if she can use a fork let alone handle a gun or knife or whatever kinky tools she likes to use on her victims. If she so much as comes within hundred yards of you I'll break her neck myself, should have done it the other night but I was enjoying kicking her too much. Daddy was right; don't ever play with your enemies. Put them down for the count so they can't escape or ever get back up for revenge."

Fate sighed at this and shook her head, "And I thought Testarossas were blood thirsty. No wonder I never scared you, most people are at least a bit unnerved by my eyes or moodiness."

Her wife huffed at this, "Compared to my parents Fate-chan you are just a cute fuzzy bunny with beautiful red eyes. Sure you can be moody sometimes but Daddy can be just as bad if not worst. Mom is just as cut throat about protecting her family as he is. She lived through some tough times with him where she and us kids were all being threatened by daddy's work associates as she calls them."

Pressing Nanoha tightly to herself, "Would you be disappointed in me if I killed them? Would you hate me?"

Nanoha squeezed her wife and kissed her scarred neck before pulling back to look her in the eyes again, "I'm ready and willing to kill them myself Fate-chan, are you disappointed in me? Does that make you hate me?"

Fate took in the steadiness of her wife's eyes, the determination to her stance; _yes she is ready to kill._

Cupping her wife's face and with as much resolution as she could muster she said, "I could never hate Nanoha. I love you and if it comes down to you or them, I'd be much happier with them dead. I just hope you don't have to take a life Nanoha, it's an ugly thing and it has the tendency to change a person."

Nanoha looked at Fate questioningly, "Have you ever?"

Fate looked down at her feet, "It was something of an accident. I hadn't meant to kill him but he attacked us first and no matter what I did he just kept coming at us. He hurt Alicia, he hurt me, it happened so fast and I had to do something. In the end though, I wonder if she was the one who took on the guilt and the burden of the death. She'd never been the most kind person in the world before that but afterwards it was like she cut off what little empathy she had. It was like she remembered the events as her being the one who took the man's life. She became harder and I just became that much more confused in what was expected of me."

In a halting voice Nanoha asked, "How old were you?"

A muscle in Fate's cheek twitched, "Nine."

Pain for that lonely and hurting child filled Nanoha as she closed her eyes briefly to try and contain her tears. Then Nanoha lifted her wife's chin and kissed her tenderly before pulling away to speak, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, you were just a child. I love you Fate-chan, and nothing will ever change that fact. You are the light of my world. There is a saying that the light shines brightest in the dark and you are the personification of that. So much darkness has surrounded you but you still shine so very beautifully in my eyes."

Fate was about to engage her wife in a very long and satisfying kiss at this when she heard the thump-thump noise of her daughter's crutches. Turning she saw the green haired girl come out of a side room with a curious look on her face. Immediately she saw her mothers once again wrapped up in each other and she sighed, "Who'd have guessed it?"

Turning her head to the doorway she called out, "They're out here necking. It's no wonder Vivio and I are so hopeless with these two as role models."

Nanoha couldn't help smirking at the girl, "I'll have you know Ein-chan we don't neck we nuzzle. Maybe someday with some hard work you can learn to be as cuddly as Fate-chan."

Einhart rolled her eyes and deadpanned, "I'll get right on that."

A perky blonde came out of the side door at this and seeing her girlfriend and hearing her words she grinned, "What will you be working on Ein-chan?"

The green haired girl floundered, "Um nothing really. I was just joking around with Nanoha-mama."

Nanoha giggled and said, "Oh she said she'd work on being as cuddly as Fate-chan. It will be a difficult task but I think if you work with her Vi maybe in ten or fifteen years she might succeed."

Vivio closed the distance between her and Einhart and slid her arms around the taller girl. Nuzzling her neck as she hugged her gently then turned her head to look at her mother, "I think she is pretty cuddly already, but if there is a chance of making her even more so then I think it will be well worth the effort."

Einhart was now blushing like mad but between having to keep a grip on her crutches to stay upright and the sheer delight in the feel of Vivio's arms she wasn't going to even try to escape.

It was at this moment that Precia followed the blonde girl out of the doorway and gave her daughter a condescending smile, "Hmm what's all this, Nanoha and Fate being bad role models and the mini version copying their lovey-dovey antics. "

The purple haired woman smirked a bit when Nanoha clutched her wife and said innocently, "Now now Precia-oka I can't help it, you did give birth to the most wonderful woman in creation. How am I supposed to resist?"

Precia arched an eyebrow and in a dead level tone said, "Well to start you can at least try."

Fate pressed a kiss to Nanoha's auburn hair and teased, "I've tried to resist this one, failed miserably. I think I'll forgo trying again and just accept my fate as being the wife of the most perfect woman in the world."

Nanoha blushed and pouted, "Fate-chan, we both know you are the perfect one."

Fate was opening her mouth to contest this fact when a redhead descended the stairway followed by her ever suffering husband to join the group, in an exasperated tone she said, "Jeez not again! You are both perfect for each other, match made in heaven, blah-blah and all that nonsense we've had to listen for fifteen years. Are you two ready for dinner or should we just find you a room?"

Another woman made her way into the entrance hall hearing this she grimaced, "Please don't give them options, I really don't want to hear them going at it.

The eldest woman of the group smirked at her adopted daughter, "Well I can agree with you there, having made the mistake of dropping by unannounced one too many times."

Then looking over the cuddling pairs she said with warm humor, "Okay you two, um four break it up and come along."

~"~"~"~"~

Fate could remember a few dinner parties in Testarossa house where there had been a few moments of levity and pleasure but nothing matched the warmth and love she could feel as everyone settled at the table. On her left was Einhart, the injured girl was told to stick close to her mother and girlfriend no matter what. In her weakened state she might become a target and no one wanted her hurt further. Next to her was Vivio who was smiling her thousand watt smile at Einhart after she whispered in her ear that she had something to ask her after dinner. Next to Vivio was Russell then Baxter. Then from Fate's right side it was Nanoha, Arf, Zafira, Subaru then Teana. Sitting at the foot of the table was Precia who was more than a little reticent about taking that place but Fate and Nanoha had insisted as they preferred to sit next to one another than bend to formality.

As the dinner progressed the laughing and joking going became disorientating to Fate, it was like she had stepped through a fun house mirror and found herself in Backwards Land. The fact that nearly all the women in the room were lesbians also seemed to strike Fate as pure irony. _Twenty years ago this scenario would never have occurred._

Sapphire eyes took in Fate's contemplative look and lean into to her. Cupping her cheek and placing her other hand on her wife's lap she asked, "What is it Love? Does something look out of place?"

Blinking burgundy eyes and shaking her head she tried to clear her mind, "Um I'm alright, everything is alright, just kind of zoned out there for a moment, sorry Love."

Looking down at her plate she decided she had had enough and perhaps it was time to move everyone to the grand reception room for dessert and Einhart's little surprise. _A little happiness to tweak Jail's nose. We will not be subdued by your pettiness._

Clearing her throat she looked over the throng and said, "If everyone is finished I think now would be a good time for a little dessert and coffee in the grand reception room. Mom will you lead off?"

Precia had to smile at this; her daughter was trying to relegate the job of hostess onto her. In the eight years of marriage and in living in this house she never once had been the hostess at a family or formal event. Never mind holding the title of mistress of this domain, Natsumi Testarossa had an iron grip on that position till the day she died. Nodding her head she pushed back from her nearly throne like chair and graciously invited the group to follow her. The room had been prepped hours ago with only a few last minute tasks needed to make it ready for the family's arrival.

As the group came in they arranged themselves according to some unspoken hierarchy which while not malicious did leave the boys on the periphery. Fate sat with Nanoha on a love seat, leaving almost enough room for another person to sit with them considering how closely snuggled in they were with each other. Directly across from them was Vivio and Einhart, the blonde fussing over the injured young woman who was trying her best not to fidget or blush too brightly at the attention. To the main couple's right was Teana and Subaru who were quietly bickering, well Teana was bickering and Subaru was sitting there taking the somewhat harsh words with her normal affable unflappability. The woman was completely besotted and just loved any attention she got from the orange haired woman. To the left was Arf and Zafira who were also snuggled into each other, it was a wonder to Precia that the pair had had only the two boys, she had been so sure the two were going to end up with a whole litter of hyperactive puppies. But then the boys had been a handful growing up and it was probably self preservation that stopped them from having more. The boys themselves sat in a pair of seats just catty-corner and slightly behind their parents allowing them just enough cover to make faces at their cousins without fear of reprisals from their parents.

Catching her granddaughter's eye she then called for the room's attention, "Ahem, I believe my granddaughter has a little something she wants to do today and we are all being honored with being allowed to witness."

Einhart blushed at this but rose to the occasion with fine Testarossa pride. As steadily as she could she slid from the love seat she occupied with Vivio and knelt on her good knee.

In an even voice clearly filled with love she asked, "Vivio Takamachi-Testarossa will you marry me?"

As the blonde smiled and was about to speak the lights cut out and a hateful voice cut in through the intercom system, "So sorry to interrupt but I thought it best to stop the further pollution of our gene pool."

Suddenly the emergency lights came on and a group of six strangely clad women appeared, two at each of the three doorways blocking escape. The group all carried weapons and steadily held them on the collected family members.

Einhart glared at the women intruding on the most important moment of her life. Growling she asked the room in general, "How the hell did the wild life get inside the house? And where is that so-call FBI protection?"

A woman with long brown hair smirked at the injured woman, "We know our way around this house better than anyone. As for your so-call protection they're either dead or disabled. Be a good little girl and maybe Papa will make this painless, heh for some of you."

Vivio pulled the green haired girl up onto the couch and held her tightly, _no way am I letting these bitches hurt her again._

Then a male made his way through the doorway and stepped forward. Smiling maliciously at the assembly he said, "Well, well what a group of Who's Who we have here."

He turned his feral yellow eyes on Fate, "You know cousin I was going to take that little Waifu of yours but I think for the betterment of all it's time you were put down. You have done more damage to our family's name with your pathetically spineless degenerate behavior than anyone else in this room."

Nanoha stood up, disregarding the cocking of pistols which now swung to point directly at her she walked closer to the mad man before her. Blazing sapphires bore into him, "Over my dead body."

Taking a calm step back he took a gun from one of his women and turned the pistol on Nanoha, with a voice of mad glee he said, "Gladly," then pulled the trigger.

Fate tried to move push her wife out of the way but it was too late. Too late for Precia Testarossa who seeing the mad man take the gun moved closer to her daughter-in-law and in a moment of rashness threw herself between incoming bullet and the young woman who held her daughter's heart. Dark eyes bulged in pain and her hands scrambled for purchase on the younger woman's form to stay upright. Nanoha let out a cry of horror and held onto the mortally wounded woman, carefully lowering her to the ground and trying to staunch her bleeding.

Fate now standing between her wife and Jail was unsure whether she should be trying to help her wife and mother or be attacking the mad man before her. The screams and yells of outrage her family made further disorientating her. Then Jail cocked the gun once more and pointing it at the distracted Nanoha's head he said, "Come along cousin, I'd hate for more _innocent_ bystanders to be hurt in this little fufufu family squabble."

The room fell deathly silent with the loud clicking of the gun cocking and those remaining sat or stood rigidly waiting the other boot to fall. Then Jail called out, "Duo, Cinque, Sein grab that cow Arf and hmm yes grab the blonde brat. It will be too tedious to drag a wounded woman around, it will slow you down and Quattro doesn't like playing with damaged goods. It will make her feel better to know she will be breaking someone so very dear to the family."

Now it was Einhart's grasp on Vivio that tightened but the blonde with a gentle smile pulled herself loose. Pressing a fleeting kiss to her lover's lips she said, "It's going to be okay. Please Ein stay safe."

Nanoha looked up into the barrel of the gun now trained on her. She then shifted and looked up further to catch Jail's eyes, "You bastard, don't think you've won. You picked the wrong family to mess with. I promise you there will be no where you can hide from me."

With a wide mad smile he said, "I won't hide from the likes of you. A pathetic worm that's not even worth the effort to smother let alone wasting another bullet on. But if you keep on trying to antagonize me I'll put a bullet in your precious Fate-chan and have her carried out so I can finish her off at my leisure."

Fate stepped between them at that moment, "Nanoha, take care of mom. Don't worry about us. Jail here may think he holds all the cards but he may find himself overextended very soon."

"Fate-chan?" the fear and confusion in Nanoha's voice almost undid her resolve. She looked Nanoha in the eyes and tried to convey to her, _I'm not giving up, I'm not abandoning you, please trust me love._

"Enough of this pathetic sappiness, you all are making me sick. Come along now or it's a bullet in the head for everyone."

The two blondes and redhead came forward, Arf having to pry her husband off of her and give him a pleading look to remain still. She didn't know what Fate had planned but she did know the blonde would never have left their safety solely in the hands of outsiders. Right now was the time to play the helpless victim until in a better position to fight back.

Surrounded from all sides the trio was bundled from the room then in the grand entrance hall they were tied up and gagged.

Jail spat out quickly, "Due, you and your team take the spares, those fools will only sit tight for so long before they come after us. Take route C out of the house and meet me back at headquarters. The rest of you split up in the subbasement tunnels, make lots of noise as you go, it'll make it harder for them to know which way to go and get them trapped where I want them. Just delay them until I send my all clear code then get back to headquarters. As for me, I'll be taking the scenic route out. I want to make sure our guest of honor gets an up close view of my final gift to her family."

~"~"~"~"~"~

A/N2: Yes, I'm being a complete b**** by stopping here. I have about a page and a half of the final confrontation written but I need more time to fully develop what everyone is doing, so please give me time to do this properly. Again please review and point out any glaring lacks in my story telling. Major kudos to Mahrac and Norg for smacking me across the head in their review/PM, I needed that!

*Side note, Nanoha is unable to resist Vivio because her eyes remind her of Fate's, she actually sees Einhart's eyes as being more like her own, especially when pouting. This is not something she has ever admitted to anyone and will deny vehemently.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

A/N: To address the comments in the reviews. No Jail didn't take Fate, Vivio and Arf to force a company take over, he is screwed legally and is going to prison if caught. This is about mutually assured destruction (MAD) if he is going down he's taking his enemies with him. As for Precia's sexuality, she had a fling w/a woman in college and that came back to bite her in the ass later (see the first story as it does reference this). I feel Precia is bisexual; she is very open to all options. She's currently not in a relationship with anyone. Lindy is at least bi-curious but a bit bitter after the mess her husband had left her in, maybe if they had reconnected during a less stressful time in their lives something could have developed between them but in my head they are very good friends who enjoy spoiling their mutual grandchildren. As for the guards sloppiness, well just read on…heehee.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but an outdated laptop and a couple of crazy cats, no ownership claim of MGLN being made.

Warning: Violence and profanity galore in this chapter.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Garyu was sitting on his boat watching the house through binoculars and grinding his teeth. He was waiting for the signal to move into the house. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Hakutenou looked at the dark frown on his superior's face and was once again wondering if they should perhaps move in before the agreed upon signal. Too many lives were on the line and if this went south they'd be the ones with their asses in the sling.

Then the soft sound of silenced gun fire came over the receiver and Hakutenou cursed. Turning to his boss he said, "We need to move in, we can't just sit back, this whole thing was a stupid idea."

Garyu looked at his long-time friend and subordinate, his eyes filled with pain and a strange resolve, "We wait until the signal is given, get a medic over to the westside of the property gates. The family is on its own until flag drops, to move in before that could mean a major disaster."

"Sir with all due respect, fuck the flag, this has already turned into a disaster. What if that was Testarossa? She's the one who planned all this."

The older man swallowed hard, "If it's Testarossa then we'll know soon, get the medic moving."

Nostrils flaring the younger man turned away and began to bark orders into his radio. Garyu watched the man and felt a heavy sadness that he couldn't share the burden of truth with the man. He owed Testarossa too much, and if he had found himself in a similar situation he would want the chance at revenge too. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the bridge of his nose trying to push the ache in his head and heart out. He had no idea what her real plan was but knew in the end there would be blood on the walls and he had promised to clean up the mess no questions asked.

Hakutenou turned to him a few minutes later and said hurriedly, "Its Precia Testarossa, her adopted daughter Lanster and her wife Nakajima pulled her out of the house. Scaglietti took three hostages, Testarossa, Testarossa-Wolkenritter and Takamachi-Testarossa the younger. Scaglietti has at least six accomplices and they appear to have disappeared into the lower levels of the house's sub-basements.

Sir, the wife Takamachi and the husband Wolkenritter are wound up tight according to Lanster, they might do something stupid. We need to move in."

Turning his head to look over the wide expanse of the ocean he said in a hollow voice, "We await the signal, it won't be much longer. Are the boats ready to be launched?"

The second in command gnashed his teeth but in an even tone said, "Yes sir, we are ready to move out now if you'll just give the order."

Licking his dry lips and looking back at the house he said, "Soon."

~"~"~"~"~

Nanoha was conflicted, she wanted to run after Fate and tear apart Scaglietti and his idiot minions but beneath her hands her mother-in-law's blood was slowly leaking between her fingers. She could feel the damaged flesh and blood soaked fabric began to stick together in what could result in a dangerous situation, just thinking of pulling away the fabric made Nanoha's stomach want to turn over.

Teana sank to her knees next to Precia across from Nanoha with what looked like a fishing tackle box. Her hands shaking as she unlatched the box and began to toss items aside in her hurry to find what she needed. She found a large pair of blunt scissors and she used them to cut off the silk jacket and underlying blouse and bra. Tossing the scissors aside she then did what Nanoha least wanted, she yanked the bloody fabric away and a fresh surge of blood seeped sickeningly between her fingers. Teana then grabbed a wad of gauze and swiped at the bleeding wound around Nanoha's pressing hands.

Finally she pulled out a large pressure bandage and looking at Nanoha she said seriously, "On the count of three I want you to move your hands and I'm going to place this bandage on Precia. It will hold the wound closed for now until we can get her to safety and help."

Nanoha nodded her agreement and in seconds Precia's bleeding wound was temporarily closed. Teana carefully turned the older woman onto her good side and checked her chest, the bullet was still lodged somewhere inside the woman. Teana turned to her wife, "Su-su I need you to help me carry Oka to the west wing's side gate. It's the path with the most natural cover and furthest from the ocean escape routes. Fate made it clear to me before, if the shit hits the fan to avoid the beach side of the house."

Nanoha was taken aback at this; Fate had trusted Teana with more information regarding her plans than her. Teana looked at Nanoha, and said in a voice full of entreaty, "Nanoha-san, Fate-san wants you to stay safe. If anything happened to you it would kill her. Please stay here with Einhart and the others, the fewer of us wandering around the better."

Nanoha was about to open her mouth to argue and ask questions when Teana held up a bloody hand. With a resigned sigh she said, "Look Nanoha-san I haven't a clue what she has planned, all I was told was keep my head down and make sure none of you went haring off. Now Precia-oka needs help and I know this place better than anyone else still here so it's up to me to get her out of here. Please all of you for pity sake just trust in Fate, she'd never put any of us in danger. Hell, Nanoha-san if you had just kept your calm it's unlikely Jail would have even shot anyone."

Nanoha flushed with guilt then mumbled, "I was just trying to take his attention off Fate-chan. I don't want her hurt again. I…I can't lose her Tea."

Teana waved Subaru over and the pair picked up the injured woman. Looking at Nanoha once more she said with as much authority as she could muster, "Do not leave this room."

Then Teana pinned both of Arf's sons, Einhart and Zafira with her penetrating stare, "That goes for all of you. I know you are all scared for them but this is Fate, she has never let any of us down. I highly doubt she's about to start now."

Then she led off with Subaru's help carefully carrying her adopted mother out of the room via a route which hopefully would allow them to avoid the mad man and his accomplices.

~"~"~"~"~

Vivio watched as her mother was dragged away down another tunnel and felt fear in her heart. As long as the older blonde had been with her she had known nothing really bad could happen but now she was alone with three assailants and her aunt in the dimly lit tunnels under a house she had only been in once before this ill-fated dinner party. Fate had given them a look that seemed to convey the message which said _delay them, but be careful damn it!_

Scared but determined, _if Fate-mama wants me to delay them then so be it, I just hope whatever she has planned doesn't take too long, I really don't fancy getting shot._

A small shiver ran down her body as she saw her grandmother take a bullet for her mother in her mind's eye, _Fate-mama definitely didn't plan for that to happen. Please don't let me screw this up._

Carefully she began to slow her steps and stagger, tossing in a few strangled whimpers and letting her frustration at the situation fuel tears. The three women gave her disgusted looks and pushed her on but Arf just gave her a twinkling look. A look that gave her courage, it said, _Oh my you are Fate's child after all, tricky little scamp._

Arf herself didn't try any theatrics; she knew she'd tip their hand if she tried. Instead she tried to move closer to her niece as if to comfort her but really so they could keep eye contact and coordinate their next move.

They continued their stumbling pace for ten minutes, seemingly walking in circles as the leader of the group and one of the other women argued over directions and looked down at a hand drawn map. Vivio was not happy with this scenario, the further they got into the tunnels the further she was getting from Einhart and that was not how things should be. If what she was seeing in front of her was truth then it was likely they'd be lost down here forever so delaying was no longer her main objective. It should be escaping before the twits decided to cut their losses and shoot them before fleeing by normal means.

They were now entering into a narrowing tunnel which appeared to funnel traffic into a single file before darkness swallowed up the path. While the passage was still wide enough to allow them maneuverability they needed to take action. Catching Arf's eye they gave each other a look which would have put anyone who knew the family immediately on guard. Arf gave the young woman a sharp look then flicked her eyes to the one called Cinque. Then she looked down and then flicked her glance at Due. The third woman would have to be dealt with by whoever got the chance after taking down their designated target.

Vivio blinked her acceptance of the wordless plan and counted off in her head to three before she spun on her heel and kicked out at the woman causing her loosely held weapon to go flying down the tunnel and snapping a bone in her wrist. A quick shift of momentum and she brought her other leg up to catch the woman's lowering head and she curled into herself to grip her broken limb. Arf not as limber as Vivio decided a tackle to the midriff to Due would be best and ploughed into the woman knocking her hard into the rock wall. Sein seeing this cried out and was wavering her gun at the two rebellious captives. Vivio seeing this zigged-and-zagged back down the tunnel to the floundering woman who had been left with rear guard. Vivio knew a panicked enemy is more easily overwhelmed than a calm one in nine cases out of ten, she needed to take this opportunity to knock her out or at least disarm her if they were going to have a chance of getting out of this alive.

The woman seeing the look of determination in Vivio's eyes tried to train her gun on the moving target and fired three shots from her silenced gun. The soft popping sound would have made most hesitate but life as an action star had Vivio running straight at squibs, between that acclimation and the obvious panic of the woman before her that made it clear she wasn't going to be aiming correctly she ran on. Vivio's only concern really was if a stray shot hit her aunt or ricocheted off the wall and caught one of them.

Hating the fact that her arms were still tied behind her causing her balance to be off she tried to make adjustments to her footing on the fly. She knew there would be no time to take a proper stance before kicking this woman so threw herself into the coming impact. Her running tackle was much more devastating that Arf's had been as she made sure the top of her head caught the woman's chin before ramming her into the wall. Her wavering arm with the gun still swung out in a desperate attempt to shoot the running woman struck the wall with a meaty thwack. The clacker of the gun being dropped was a sweet sound and Vivio stumbled back off her crushed victim and searched the ground for the gun. Catching sight of it she kicked it into a gap in the rock wall, hopefully putting it not only out of sight but also out of reach.

It was then she heard the almost stomach turning sound of a thud. The terrifying thud of something solid hitting someone's head, then a thump as a body hit the floor. Turning back she saw her aunt now slumped on the ground and Due standing over her with a thick flat stone in one hand and a gun in the other. The two had continued to tussle over the weapon as Vivio dealt with Sein and now it appeared Due had gotten the upper hand.

Vivio looked about and tried to determine if she could make it to the other end of the tunnel but the cold calculating stare of Due showed she wasn't like Sein, if she made a mad rush it would be straight into death. The woman dropped the stone and moved back from the prone figure. Waving the gun she pointed from the blonde to the redhead, "Get over here now. You have too much energy, it's time we put that to good use, you're going to carry that good for nothing cow the rest of the way."

Vivio walked carefully over to her aunt and stood between the much too still form and their kidnappers. The two women she had dealt with were still trying to gather their wits and muster the wherewithal to stand. Due frowned at the younger women then said in a harsh voice, "Sein get off your ass and make that little bitch haul the cow. I don't care how you rig it but get them set up."

The woman blinked stupidly at her elder and then looked warily at the blonde. Hesitantly she said, "Um rather not, she's dangerous, Pops never said they were ninjas, I'd just as soon go back to the hotel and call it a day."

Due glared at the young woman and stepped over to her to pistol-whip her across the face. The girl screamed and fell back on to her butt. Vivio was frightened by this more than she had been by the earlier shooting. Looking from one to the other of the pair she thought, _aren't they all on the same team? That woman Due is crazy, do not turn your back on her again._

Vivio worked her jaw and spit out the gag which had become loose in her tussles. In as nonthreatening a voice as she could maintain she said, "Look I don't really have any issues with any of you. If you just untie us I'm sure between myself and Fate we can have the authorities go easy on you. A light slap on the wrist, like community service then we can all move on with our lives."

Both Cinque and Sein looked tempted by this, they weren't the lowest on the totem pole but definitely weren't top dogs. Due saw the look of contemplation and growled, "I have more than one bullet in this gun, if you two don't start moving your asses I'll be forced to cut the dead wood."

Cinque jumped to her feet and wobbled at bit from her aching head but came forward to haphazardly do as she was bidden. Using her left hand she checked bonds and tried to figure out how to keep the feisty blonde from attacking them again while having her haul the dead weight of their other captive. Sein had gotten up to and was holding her bleeding mouth. Resentfully she stood near her partner and tried to make it look like she was helping but stayed outside of Vivio's kicking range.

~"~"~"~"~

Fate head ducked listened to the retreating footsteps until they disappeared, she move with deliberate slowness but the gun pressed to her back made it plausible enough that she would not struggle against Scaglietti, at least for now. As they entered the secret passages though and the others spread out she began to drag her feet further causing the man to move from behind her to her side and grab her by the hair to drag her forward.

Pulling her head back and over to his hot mouth he growled in her ear, "Pick up your feet bitch, if you ruin my surprise with your stupidity I'll make sure your little guttersnipe pays the price. I'll not be playing any of your games, try to delay me and it'll be a bullet in the head and then the leash comes off Quattro and Due. My dark ladies will break your pathetic excuse for a daughter, what will be left will need to be identified by dental records."

Fear shot through Fate at the thought, but her objective had been met; she had slipped her blade from its arm holster into her now sweaty palm. The blade was short and thin and had been well hidden under her pantsuit's jacket and long sleeve silk blouse. With a quick flick of the wrist the bounds where cut but she held them in place knowing now was not the moment to make her move. The grip on her long hair was painful but was well worth it or so she hoped.

They walked on in silence the dark tunnels now cobwebbed and dusty. She remembered her own search of the tunnels earlier and the minute traces of someone using the passages. It appeared that it hadn't been just her imagination but the traces hadn't reached the most hidden depths and on that she'd lay all her hopes on. Knowing Jail was watching her she let a look of helpless wonder creep onto her face.

He smirked at her stunned look, "I know more about this house than you could even imagine."

She let out a surreptitious breathe of relief when he pulled her pass the hidden gap in the stone wall to their left and instead took her over to what appeared to be a dead-end and pushed on a couple of knobby outcrops on the wall. A soft clicking was heard and the wall slid to the side as a doorway suddenly came into view.

Stumbling convincingly as they came to the exit she nearly pulled Jail off his feet then in a weak voice she asked, "Where are you taking me? What about my family?"

Jail growled, "Get up you clumsy bitch! I'll not have you delaying my revenge with your pathetic attempts at groveling. It's all too late for that; you and your despicable family are going to get what you deserve."

Fate stumbling into the stone archway as they exited caused a small motion sensor to go off and an alert to go up. She now only had minutes to secure her revenge before the cavalry came charging in and she'd have to bow to the proper authorities. Feeling the grip in her hair tighten as he pulled her up the stairs she gritted her teeth, _bastard, I hope you enjoyed this because it's my turn soon._

The exit they had come to was the one that lead to a rocky ledge with many large boulders to provide cover. The ledge led down to the beach via a set of natural stone steps that were artfully hidden with tall brush and weeds. The ledge oversaw the house and had given a fair lookout for passing coast guard patrols for their smuggler forbearers. Looking out on the blue water Fate could see two trawlers floating nearby. A small flag on one went from half mast to full mast as she watched and she couldn't help smiling internally, _gotcha!_

~"~"~"~"~

Five minutes, then ten pass and finally the signal is received and the boats are launched as the flag on the deck of the command ship goes from half mast to full. Movement is spotted on the beach as a single figure emerges from seemingly nowhere. The short haired young woman looks confused and more than a little frightened as she is suddenly surrounded by uniformed men and women with heavy assault weapons. The woman drops her own weapon without resistance and allows herself to be handcuffed.

The gruff looking Hakutenou walked up to the woman and in a voice edged with frustration asked, "Where is Jail Scaglietti?"

The woman was little more than a girl he noted, possibly not even yet eighteen but he needed answers so pressed the floundering woman-child. "Tell me what you know now or I'll see to it you rot in prison for the rest of your natural life!"

The girl's shaggy short cropped reddish hair fell into her face as she tried to think of something to say, "Ah… ah… I don't know where pops is, he told us to exit the house through the tunnels, he gave us all maps."

As her pockets were turned out a piece of paper fluttered out and was nearly blown away in the wind but was caught by one of the ever vigilant officers. Hakutenou looked over the thin sheet of paper and wondered at the fact that the girl had been able to negotiate the subbasement level to the point of escaping. It almost appeared as if Scaglietti had wanted the girl to be permanently lost in the underground maze.

There a loud squawking from a radio and a frantic voice relayed the news that the hotel Saint's Cradle had just been destroyed in an explosion. The girl shuddered and fell to her knees when she heard the news and tears leaked from her eyes, "Uno, oh god why Uno?"

The she sucked in her breath and as if realizing there was a silver lining even to this gloomy cloud of news, "Quattro was in the hotel, thank heavens she is gone."

Hakutenou let out his own breath of relief at that news, Quattro Numeri was a fugitive from the law considered armed and dangerous, the fact none of his officers would have to face the evil bitch was a godsend.

~"~"~"~"~

Nanoha watched Teana disappear with her mother-in-law and Subaru and the urge to run in the opposite direction, to catch up with Scaglietti and Fate began to burn in her veins. She clutched her blood stained hands in her lap as she sat on the couch once more, her legs would only do one of two things now, run to Fate or collapse from despair.

The quiet voice of Einhart broke the silence, "Fuck this, I'm not going to sit here and wait. Fate may have had a plan but as she would point out, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. She needs our help and even if she doesn't I'm not going to sit here and go crazy over Vivio's safety when I can do something."

Zafira stood up in front of his niece, his gravelly voice sounding like the voice of god for a moment, "No, you need to stay here Einhart. You're injured; neither Fate nor Vivio will appreciate you getting yourself hurt further by haring off after them. Stay here with Nanoha, me and the boys will go after them, we can handle this."

Nanoha continued to stare at her hands, her soul in conflict and her mind only half aware of the argument now exploding around her.

Einhart jumped to her feet, and face flushed with anger she growled back at the taller man, "No way am I staying behind, that's my mother, aunt and fiancée. Now I'll be happy to let you beat the snot out of anyone touching Arf but anyone threatening my fiancée faces me."

The older man frowns and points out her cast, "And what the hell do you think you can do with one broken leg? You'll just slow us down."

In a move faster than the eye could rightly follow Einhart struck out and broke the oak side table with her bare fist.

Then straightening up she looked at her uncle and cousins with a look of disgust, "Zafira don't patronize me, you could break my fucking arm too and I'll still be more use in a fight than either of them."

The silver haired man's eyes squinted a little at this but then he nodded, "Fine but we aren't going to slow our pace for you, keep up or shut up."

Einhart turned to look at her second mother, the woman seemed lost in her own world. It was clear Teana's words had had a greater effect on her than on the rest of them. Not bothering to even to try to convince the older woman to join them she swung her crutches towards the door and set off in a hurrying pace. The men looked at each other then Nanoha and decided Einhart had the right of it and set off behind her to follow after the kidnappers and their precious cargo.

The silence in the room became overbearing to Nanoha's senses, Fate's and Teana's pleas resounding in her ears while her raging heart screamed at her to move, to chase after her lover, the other half of her soul. Five minutes had passed but it had felt like five hours or maybe five days to her desperate heart.

Standing up she whispered to the room, "I'm sorry Fate-chan, I can't stay here. I'd rather die than sit back while you're in danger."

Then the auburn haired woman turned to the door and sprinted after the others, but she knew it didn't matter if she caught up with them or not. They didn't know where Fate was but she did, with each thudding heartbeat she could feel the pull of the blonde woman. With each step she knew she'd be putting herself in danger but if she didn't she'd be risking something greater than her own life, Fate.

~"~"~"~

Standing in the fading light of evening, the sun now melting into the ocean and the sky darkening Fate closed her eyes briefly to gather her courage. Today she would willfully kill a man, it would be no accident, it would be pre-mediated and in her heart of hearts she knew she was going to enjoy it. She felt a shiver of disgust at herself flow through her, _I'm doing this to protect my family. The only reason I'll be enjoying this death is because I'll be doing humanity a service, he can't be allowed to live and spout his evil garbage._

It had taken them more than twenty minutes to reach this location from the grand reception room. Now as Jail took in the grand house his grin grew, _now is my moment_.

Once he was sure she was in proper position to see the house he pulled out the detonator and wiggled the device in front of her face. Fate looked at device warily and started to open her mouth to speak when he threw up his hand to stop her.

Breathing heavily from his exertion in pulling the tall blonde through the tunnels and excitement he said breathlessly, "Shhh dear cousin, don't speak. The time for talking is long past. It is time to, as Theo the Great would say, prune the family tree. If you weren't such a coward you would have done better to fight me in the house but now it's too late, too late for everything."

Laughing he grinned maliciously then with a hateful glee he said, "Fufufu, but don't fret now little cousin I'll grant you a small mercy," he paused as he tilted his head contemplatively then continued, "take a second and say bai-bai to your little cunt and your pathetic so-called family."

Then stepping back so he could take in both the blonde and the house all at once he engaged the detonator.

The quiet clicking noise seemed anticlimactic but somewhere not so far away a building was crumbling to rubble. The detonator relay more than sufficient to send the signal the requisite miles distance, stage one of Fate's revenge was now complete. The man continued to jam his finger into the detonator, eye twitching and incoherent gibbering spouting from his mouth.

Fate released her bonds and with cat-like stealth she came up to the distracted man. Quick blows knocked the detonator from his hands and the wind from his lungs. She then found his gun and threw it over the ledge before turning back to him to look at him with eyes that now appeared to glow blood red. Jail's yellow eyes bulged in fear for a fleeting moment as the angry dying eyes of another Testarossa flickered across his memory along with his dying curse. He tried to speak but the towering woman before him cut him off by clamping her left hand around his throat in a vice-like grip.

Fate held the fount of all her troubles in a tight grasp, her fingers digging into the soft flesh of his neck. The images of Nanoha's bruised neck, Caro and Einhart in their hospital beds, then her mother bleeding on the floor flash through her mind.

In a voice softly menacing she spoke into an ear, "Did you really think I'd let you get away with hurting them? Did you delude yourself so much to forget unlike you I trained directly under Theodore Stratos Testarossa the Third? The biggest bastard born to woman, a man who could cover up murder and blackmailed government leaders, a man who had already lost a son and knew he needed to groom a weapon to protect his bloodline."

Her voice took on a strangely-humored tone as she let the blade in her right hand play across the man's cheek, "You must have been so surprised when the house didn't go boom, but don't worry your little toy didn't go to waste. I wonder though how many of your little squad of Numeri were at the Saint's Cradle when its fufufu mis-scheduled demolition went off. Such a beautiful building it was, such a pity it couldn't have been restored."

The man tried to break out of the hold and suddenly the grip closed on his windpipe crushing it. The knife left a gaping wound on the cheek which spouted blood. She moved the knife with precision to his ear and allowed the blade to nick the canal. Her voice became hard, "The more you struggle the worst it'll be for you! I hold all the cards here Jail, when I'm done tearing you apart I'm going to have the FBI cart you off in a body bag like the garbage you are. And you know what's best about all this, the American people will laud me as a hero, there won't be an inquest no matter how bloody or battered your body is."

She then drove the knife into his ear a quarter of an inch, enough to damage his hearing but not kill him. As she yanked the knife out she allowed it to slide against his neck barely missing the jugular vein. Nimble fingers then flipped and twisted the blade as it made ribbons of the shirt and tie the man wore as it left small nicks to the under laying flesh when he breathed too deeply, meaning at all. She then pressed the blade to his tendons in his arms and with a quick flick removed his ability to hold anything ever again.

She released her grip and kicked him viciously into a large boulder, in a voice of madness she raged at him, "You wanted me to prove how Testarossa I'm well how am I doing Jail?"

The blade bit into his back, sides and arms shallowly again and again, his blood now running down his arms as his useless hands tried to prop him up. He turned to his attacker, his own mad yellow eyes a sick reflection of the blood red eyes that glared at him. He gave the towering woman an insane grin as he choked out, "You are doing very well cousin, I admit it, I was wrong. You are a real Testarossa. You just needed some polish; you can thank me for providing the needed circumstances to allow you to reach your full potential. Hahaha, I wonder what that pretty little wife of yours will think of her dear Fate-chan when she discovers what you've become, Yaju."

Fate froze, it was one thing to kill one's enemy in the heat of battle, what she was doing now was pure sadistic evil and she was glorying in it. She stepped back from the mad man on the ground her grip on the knife loosened and then it fell with a clacker. Shaking her head, voice pained and confused, "No, I am not a monster. I am nothing like you."

Standing shakily to his feet he came closer to the distraught woman, "Oh sweet little Fate don't fight it, it's in the blood. We were born to dominate, to rule over others, Testarossas for generations unnumbered have been the true power behind the throne. You tried to be mediocre and mundane, tried to blend in with the sheep and what has it gained you?

An apex predator does not lay down with its prey, tell me the truth, you don't really love that little Jap. You've been using her pretty little body for your own pleasure, but how much longer is she going to be interesting? Already you're getting bored, admit it. That little blonde scamp of hers could be a nice upgrade, we both know you like your women rough around the edges, second class, a bit trashy, after all it makes you look better."

Fate's mind had been in a tailspin but as soon as the man began speaking about Nanoha and Vivio her mind cleared. _Oh that's right, he deserves this punishment. But that doesn't mean I have to lower myself to his level._

Blood red eyes flicked up and caught his yellow stare, she let her hand slid to the back of her jacket and pushed the silky fabric aside. The long thin blade she had hidden there in the small of her back had been a gift from her father-in-law. Grinning she closed the gap between her and Jail, her voice a gentle lilt, "You know Jail if you were wiser you would have quit while you were ahead and escaped. But you never could stop that word vomit of yours, too entranced with the sound of your own voice.

Leaning in she let her cheek barely brush his as she whispered in his one good ear, "Never insult Nanoha in front of me."

Then she jammed the blade into the despicable man's heart.

~"~"~"~"~

She was in pain, horrid pain flashed in her leg as she tried to keep up with her cousins and uncle. They had told her to stay behind but that wasn't possible, those monsters had _her_ Vivio, she couldn't just standby and wait. She had abandoned her crutches three or was it four turns back as the uneven ground made them next to useless. The men had run so far ahead that she wasn't sure they were in the same tunnel anymore but her gut told her she was going the right way. It was something she'd been able to do since they were children; no matter the circumstances she had always been able to find the blonde.

She took the left fork in the tunnel and then heard scuffling noises and the shrieks of women. At that she pushed herself harder to make up the distance. She had to make two more decisions on where to turn off but then suddenly she was faced with a strange tableau. Vivio, hands tied behind her back, long blonde hair loose from its normal neat side tail looking wild. Her clothes disheveled. The huffing blonde was standing over the prone figure of their aunt, the woman appeared to be unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. Then there were their three would-be kidnappers who surprisingly looked much more worse for wear considering they had been handling two trussed up women. Each looked as if they had come in contact with a battering ram. Mouths bleeding, bruises visible on exposed flesh, clothes torn, clearly Vivio and Arf were not going with their assailants quietly.

Vivio had been trying to figure a way out of this situation, if they hoisted her aunt onto her there would be no way for her to fight back and she'd be at their complete mercy. Eyes flickering back and forth from the two women she had taken down earlier but now were arguing about how best to handle her. While the third glared at them and shot down their ideas and made frustrated gestures while complaining about their stupidity.

The blonde couldn't help the worried look that came to her face, '_Are these people really related to Fate-mama? Suddenly that gene pool is looking less attractive; thank god Einhart has Harlaown genes to fall back on. Testarossas really are all nuttier than squirrel poop, I'll never argue with Aunt Hayate about that fact again.'_

Then she heard the uneven thump of foot fall and knew Einhart had followed, _Damnation Einhart you're injured, these women will tear into you like a pack of wolves._

Turning her head she saw the girl haired girl standing unsteadily, no crutches in sight and the marked lines of pain visible on her face. The threesome turned also and Duo smiled, "Hmm things are looking up, little Miss Perfect came after us and we all know the little guttersnipe worships the ground she walks on. Cinque grab her, don't be afraid to rough her up, she followed us, she needs a few lessons in following directions."

The woman suddenly pulled out a blade from her boot, weapon in hand she came towards Einhart with a sinister grin, "Come, come my pretty."

Vivio was about to throw herself between the pair when Sein and Due rushed her and pressed her against the tunnel walls. Einhart heard the scuffle and felt red hot rage fill her. There were quite a few misconceptions going around regarding Einhart's abilities as a fighter. The first being Einhart was a coward as she didn't do many of her own stunts on set. This was resoundingly untrue, she didn't do a lot of her own stunts because she really didn't trust most of the stunt coordinators she had been forced to work with, not because she was fearful, Fate-mama had always pointed out it's better to be thought a coward than be dead. Second she was a disappointment to her adoptive Takamachi family in regards to her fighting abilities. While it was true the girl lacked what Takamachi Shiro would call the killer instinct she had developed sufficiently to put most enemies down without breaking a sweat that alone was enough to garner her praise. With the cries of pain and distress now coming from Vivio though it seemed Einhart's long suppressed killer instinct was now being awakened.

Heterochromatic eyes went from their normal blue and violet to nearly black with rage. Uncaring of her broken leg which throbbed in its cast she moved in on her prey. One arm swinging out to block the suddenly swiping blade then she struck the wrist and the grip on the weapon broke and the blade fell to the ground. The woman looked down stupidly and gave Einhart the needed time to shift her stance to kick haphazardly the knife into a dark corner. Then she crouched down a bit and began to rain down body blows to the woman's unguarded lower torso. Kidneys bruised, breathing disrupted then as the woman began to curl into herself to try and protect her body Einhart shift once more and struck the woman cleanly across the jaw and a resound crack was heard as it was dislocated. Another blow quickly followed catching her under the chin and causing the woman to lose her balance and fall hard backwards unconscious.

Einhart stepped over the prone body and made her way to the pair holding her lover, a dark aura growing with every uneven footstep. Sein was the first to break under the deathly glare; she relinquished her hold and ran off down the tunnel in an attempt to escape. Duo was made of stronger stuff but was wise enough to know she was at a disadvantage now and began to scramble for her gun forgetting the blonde wasn't the typical scared hostage she was used to dealing with.

Vivio no longer pinned to the wall and seeing the brown haired woman reach for her gun threw herself forward to knock her off balance, stumbling and falling ungracefully in a heap with the woman to the ground. The gun which was now halfway free from its holster fired and white hot pain flooded the blonde. The damn bullet had cut a path through her right thigh and now all she wanted to do was scream and pummel the bitch that was laying beneath her.

Einhart heard the gun shot, saw Vivio flinch and then the blood. Unsure whose screams it was now that were echoing off the walls of the tunnels and not caring Einhart sprinted over to the tangled pair and pulled Vivio off the armed woman before a second shot could be made. Grabbing at the gun the two struggled and the older woman nearly getting the gun aimed at the younger woman's head when a resounding kick to the head knocked her opponent out. In an adrenaline fueled daze Einhart heard a rush of incoherent curses and a body collapse in a heap. Shaking her head and blinking to clear her mind of the raging need to fight she turns her head to look at her lover in a mild state of shock.

The blonde was staring down at blood seeping in a terrifying manner from her leg, arms still tied behind her now hung limply from her stooping shoulders. Vivo looked up from her wound, pain riddled her face, her voice breathy, "I need you to get help Ein, I don't think the bullet didn't hit anything vital but if I don't get help soon it won't matter one way or the other. Ah-ha…sigh I think I'm going into shock, my head feels all messed up. Oh…"

The blond suddenly slumped over and fell on her side, Einhart frightened scrambled to her side and pulled at her restraints franticly to release her arms. Once freed she pulled the blonde into her lap and wrapped her arms around the limp figure so as to put pressure on the leaking wound while still providing her lover with every ounce of body warmth she could. Vivio's head lay back against her shoulder, using what little strength she had she pressed her face into the hollow of Einhart's neck, "Please don't let me go, I'm cold…god I feel so cold."

Tightening her grip on her lover she closed her eyes as she silently prayed to any deity that would listen, _please, please don't let her die, I'll do anything, give anything. If necessary I'll give her up, never touch her again but please just let her survive this._

Pressing her lips to Vivio's clammy brow she whispered, "I'm here love, I won't let you go, but you need to stay awake. Talk to me Vi."

The blonde mumbled incoherently and Einhart felt her heart rip in two, _if there is a god in heaven help will arrive right now and save us._

~"~"~"~"~

Zafira Wolkenritter ran with his sons, his eyes searching the gloom for any sign of his wife, niece and cousin. His ears he felt were useless as the pounding of his heart hammered in them. Then he came across a woman with an eye patch on trying and failing to read a hand drawn map. The men rushed her and in less time than it took her to scream they had disarmed her and pinned to the ground.

Zafira's blue eyes blazed with anger and fear, "Where is my wife?!"

The woman grunted as she tried and failed to fling the large man off of her. Desperation griped him and he shook the woman, "Tell me where she is damn you or I'll break your god damn neck!"

The woman's eyes were frantic, "I don't know where your stupid cow is, all I know is we've got to get out of here, the whole place is about to explode. Pops has it rigged to go up any minute now."

The silver haired man's eyes widened at this declaration and he stood up, Ruff take this woman back to the house and sound the alarm, if there is a bomb in the house we need make sure everyone has gotten out.

Ruff removed his belt and used the length of leather to secure his prisoner's arms behind her back and began the tedious trek back to the house with his recalcitrant captive.

As soon as the captive was secured the father and son pair took off again, straining their senses in a vain hope of finding their missing loved ones.

As the Wolkenritter men moved out Garyu and his men were moving into position. As they made their systematic way through the tunnels they found two more of the stray Numeri girls. Each of them quickly searched and a hand drawn map found, each a poor representation of the layout, it appeared Scaglietti had been planning a real pruning of the family tree with this venture.

The sound of footsteps and masculine voices caught Zafira's attention and he and his son turned in that direction. Soon he was faced with Garyu and a small platoon of law enforcement officers and medical techs. Garyu seeing the huffing pair stepped forward, "Wolkenritter, are you alright?"

The silver haired man frowned, "No god damn it I'm not alright my wife is somewhere down her with a bunch of mad terrorists. Where the hell have you all been this whole fucking time!"

The disparaged officer gave the outraged husband a sad look, "I was doing my job, we had a plan. So far everything appears to have gone off as Testarossa wanted. Excepting what happened with her mother. We now have three of the terrorist in custody and are working our way through these tunnels with proper maps in order to secure the remaining fugitives."

Zafira looked less than impressed with this answer so the officer threw him a sop, "Join us on our merry hunt through this maze Mr. Wolkenritter; another set of eyes and ears never hurts. We're about to come to junction were we'll be splitting off."

Baxter spoke up for his seething father, "Gladly sir, but you should know there is a bomb in this house. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. And you can consider one more of the terrorist caught; my brother is heading back to the house with one we stumbled upon earlier."

Garyu smiled at the warning, "Don't worry about the bomb, it's already been taken care of. Now let's move out there are at least four more fugitives running around this property and I won't rest till they're all in custody."

~"~"~"~"~

Fate looked down at the now cooling body of the man who tried to destroy her life. In his madness he had nearly killed her children, wife, cousins and mother. Sighing and feeling the weight of the death settle on her shoulders she tried to justify the death once more in her mind, _He'll never be able to threaten the ones I love again. They're safe, now it's time for the mopping up then we can put this whole mess behind us._

Her eyes searched the beach and saw a couple of small groups of agents and coast guards huddled up along where the various exits had been marked off for them. From the distance she could see within these groupings was at least one strangely clad woman. Deciding then to return to the tunnels to help in the search for her daughter and cousin, praying that she hadn't lead them to their deaths in her desperate need for revenge. Seeing Nanoha hurt had been the final straw, as horribly selfish as she knew the sentiment to be, everyone else in the world in the end could disappear but without Nanoha she'd fail to exist. The bastards had threatened her keystone to sanity, the one person who could calm the raging beast that lived just beneath her skin.

Back turned to the boulders that lined the edge of the ledge as she made her way back to the hidden exit she nearly missed the warning shuffle of sand being displaced. Ducking her head instinctively and rolling away from a wildly swinging bladed glove. Looking up from her crouching position she saw the bruised and broken Quattro standing before her with dilated eyes of one higher than a kite.

In a muttering voice Quattro complained, "Fuck all, what are you a damn cat? Why won't you just let me kill you? Pops promised me he'd bring me some new toys to play with and now he's dead. You fucking owe me bitch, now who will clean up after I'm done playing?"

Fate looks up at the drugged woman from her crouching position and sighs, "Why couldn't you have been at the Saint's Cradle and died."

Rolling her shoulders Fate tries to center herself again for the kill; there was no other way this would end. Quattro seeing the look of determination enter Fate's eyes smiled dementedly.

"Oh widdle Fwait-chan wants to play, Pops had such a high opinion of you before he died let's see if you can live up to his words."

Despite broken bones Quattro moved with speed and remarkable agility, but in all fairness she would normally be no match for Fate. But the drug fueled mad woman struck out at the blonde with terrifying strength and reckless abandon. The blonde met every blow she could not dodge with a block and felt its crushing strength jar her bones. With each blow she knew she'd have to soon step up her own fierceness if she wanted to survive. Taking blows when she could have dodged just so she could land a more telling blow on the younger woman left them both covered in jagged bleed wounds. If someone were to see them now they would not have seen the cool beauty Testarossa or the cutesy idol Numeri but instead two savage beasts trying to tear the throat out of their enemy.

Soon the brown haired beast-like woman was a bloody mess as for every third or fourth wild strike she attempted a sharp blade cut into her body. But as long as no vital organ was struck she continued her assault on the blonde. In her teasing sing-song voice she said to the flagging blonde, "Oh poor Fwait-chan are you getting tired already? If so just stand still and I'll put you out of your misery. I'm sure that cute little wife of yours will be happy to provide me with hours of entertainment. Once you're out of the way I'm sure we'll be the best of friends."

Rage burned in her veins, the gripe on her blade tightened and she growled, "You'll never touch Nanoha again! I'll cut your fucking hands off and stuff them…"

Her words were cut off when the pair met again in a now fierce struggle, sweat and blood drops where now being flung from their bodies as they wrestled on the ground, Fate now desperate to drive her blade into Quattro's minuscule heart.

There was a scrambling noise which the struggling women at first did not hear but the gasp and soft cry of "Fate-chan," brought the raging blonde up short as she held the brown haired woman in a tenuous grasp and tried once more to press her blade home in her enemy's body.

Turning her head Fate saw her lover, her savior, her One and the look of shock and horror on her face made her world shatter. God why had she chosen to seek revenge? Now Nanoha could see what she had hidden from her all these years, only in the briefness of instances had she ever let the savage beast in her free and only then to punish herself for her failings. The fire in her eyes died, the once fiery blood red eyes now looked like dying embers losing their final grip on life.

Quattro felt the grip on her slacken and twisted in Fate's grasp, pushing the blonde off of her before she pounced onto the now prone blonde. With a malicious grin she said with her bladed-gloved hand raised over Fate she shrieked, "Bai-bai Yaju."

But the bladed hand never reached its target as Quattro felt a grip take her by the hair and pull back her head. Nanoha had picked up Fate's dropped blade and taking the glinting blade she now enacted her own punishing revenge on the crowing Quattro as she drove the blade into her back along with her clenched fist.

The brown haired woman gasped as she turned her head to look at the woman who had stuck her so fatally. Gleaming sapphires now appeared as hard and cold as glacial ice.

In a faltering voice she asked, "Why? She is as much a monster as I, why save her? You should have let us kill each other then you could have been free."

Nanoha leaned into the dying woman's face as she pulled the blade from her back with a sickening wet sound. Tightening her grip on the shocked woman's hair to pull her head further back she replied, "Do you really think I'd let you kill Fate-chan? I struggled with unrequited love for her for nearly a decade, now she's mine. Nothing in heaven or on Earth is going to change the way I feel for her."

Then with a cold purposefulness she slashed the woman's throat from ear to ear before dropping her. The gurgling woman stared up unbelieving at the auburn haired woman. Nanoha tilted her head and said to her, "You called my wife a monster, well I guess that's fitting since I'm a devil. Now go to hell."

~"~"~"~

A/N: Okay I have to stop here! The final results of this madness will be coming soon. I had to fight with this chapter too much as there were so many points of view I had to incorporate and I still don't feel I've done it justice. Please don't hate me too much as I've left a few cliffys in my wake.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. This chapter had to be scraped then rewritten as I just couldn't get anywhere with what I had. Seriously I had a page written then the writer's block set in. Please don't hate me for what I've done…

Disclaimer: No ownership claim is being made, no profit either.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Fate awoke in her old bedroom in her family's ancestral home, the familiar ceiling of her childhood seeming to press down on her with the aches and pains of her body. Why was she sleeping here? Where was her family? Getting up she noted she had been sleeping fully dressed, her clothing sleep rumpled but otherwise fine.

She made her way down the corridor and to the main flight of stairs which would take her to the main family living area. Pushing open the heavy oak door she stepped in and the sight of the Shinto Shrine which once housed her grandfather's photo in pride of place now held four new photos shrouded in black. Her mother, her cousin who had been closer to her than her own twin and her two eldest daughters; realization hit her, they were all dead. She turned her head frantically to search the room for any sign of the remaining members of her family, _Nanoha?!_

When no sign could be found she turned back to the shrine and saw a packet of papers and pen sitting in front of Vivio's photo. Carefully she reached out and picked up the documents. Divorce papers? Her eyes ran down the documents furiously and took in passages such as, "irreconcilable differences," "seeking full child custody," and "no visitation rights."

Fate felt as if a sledgehammer had just struck her in her chest as she collapsed onto the floor. It was only to be expected her mind feebly pointed out, she had sought revenge and risked the lives of the people she supposedly loved more than herself. She had by her willful actions brought about the death of four of her most cherished family members, how else did she think this would turn out? Looking at the fountain pen which now seemed to glitter malevolently at her she raised a shaking hand to give her beloved wife what she obviously desperately wanted, a clean break. Her hand shook and her eyes filled with tears as her finger tips brushed the cool metal casing of the pen. _NO!_ Her mind screamed and her hand once more dropped lifelessly into her lap.

She sat on the ground her heart and mind in a dizzying whirl as she tried to think of a way to salvage the situation but what was the use? Nanoha was gone, she didn't even want Fate near their children, and she wanted nothing more to do with her. Finally the dark voice which lived in the back of her mind, the one which had lead her down this road in the first place spoke. What was the point in living now? She had no family, Zafira would never trust her again nor his cousins. Teana wouldn't either. She had proven Carim right and Caro would now see the truth. Lost, it was all lost in an instant because of her blood thirsty drive for revenge.

She stood up on shaky legs and went to the opposite side of the room where a set of ceremonial swords her grandmother had brought into the family hung proudly on display. She picked up the tantō and made her way back up to the second floor of the house. Coming upon the room with the name plate Practice Room she pushed open the door and fumbled with the lock. Locking herself into the soundproof room she then knelt on the ground and let the silence surround her. The soft humming noise of her own blood circulating and the drumming of her heart accompanied the susurrations of her breath the only noises in the room.

She looked down on the blade in her hands. This would hopefully expunge her of her sins; she would leave this world as she always knew she would; Alone and Unwanted. With her death Nanoha would inherit all she had and be provided for, their children would want for nothing. Lining up the blade with her stomach she closed her eyes and whispered to heaven, "I am sorry," then drove the blade home.

~"~"~"~"~

Nanoha awoke to the terrifying sound of her wife's heart monitor flat lining. The incessant bleeping noise startled her out of her fitful sleep and drew her attention onto her wife's now still form. She was about to throw herself onto Fate's chest and demand the stubborn blonde come back to her when a rush of medical personnel came into the room and a nurse ushered her out of the room. In the hallway sat Arf with her head still wrapped in gauze and clad in the unflattering hospital gown of an inpatient. She had been speaking with Teana when the influx of doctors and nurses had flooded into Fate's room. She looked up at the beleaguered auburn haired woman with questioning eyes and Nanoha felt herself crumbling. What would she do without her Fate-chan? The thought of losing her wife of nearly sixteen years was already eating at her soul.

Arf stood and opened her arms to the younger woman who gratefully stepped into her embrace and clung to her like a lifeline. The soft sound of thumping was heard and a quietly spoken, "Mama?"

Soon Nanoha found herself seated in the arms of two women as she let go of her anguish. Why had she waited so long to follow? Her life, her love had needed her and she had hesitated. She better than most knew how hard it was for Fate to ask for help. Even the _help_ she had requested from the authorities had only been in cleaning up the aftermath. She had held Fate in her arms and could have forced the stubborn blonde to reveal her plans if she had just pushed, but instead she had let herself get distracted.

As her daughter whispered words of comfort she thought over of the past twenty-four hours. Einhart and Vivio's rescue from the bowels of Testarossa House, the fight both her precious blondes had faced to survive in surgery. It was only in the past few hours that it appeared they both were set on the path to recovery along with Precia who was still sedated but showing marked improvement every hour that passed. Why had Fate's heart stop beating? Nanoha had voluntarily given her blood to be pumped into her wife as Einhart did the same for Vivio, each drop a prayer and a desperate plea for them to survive. She hadn't moved from the blonde's side since she had been allowed once more to take her place beside her. Only the fear of causing her beloved more pain had restrained her from climbing into the hospital bed to curl herself around her wife's battered form.

The attending doctor came out, face lined with fatigue but with eyes that held out hope. Looking at the group of women huddled together he cleared his voice and called out to the woman he recognized from the newspapers, "Mrs. Takamachi-Testarossa?"

The auburn haired woman swallowed her tears and turned her now bloodshot eyes onto the doctor, "Yes?"

"Ma'am, your wife is stable again but we're worried. It seems like she is giving up. I'm not sure why but right now she needs every bit of positive encouragement you can give her. She's at a crossroads right now, if not pushed I'm not sure she'll make it to dawn."

Hearing this Nanoha got up and made her way to her wife's bedside. No longer worried about anything but pushing her wife to fight instead of giving into death. Taking up her hand as she sat on the edge of her bedside she spoke to her wife in her most imperious tone.

"Fate-chan, don't you dare leave me. I'm too young to be a widow. You promised me to always do anything and everything to make me happy. I need you to be happy. Dying is not acceptable. Darling, I can't live without you. I know you think I'm strong but I'm not. If I can't wake up next to you then I don't want to wake up. Our babies need you; they need their Fate-mama. Love, come back to me and we can even talk about having another baby. I don't care if I'm forty or how painful the labor is. I know you wanted a bigger family but accepted my decision to only have the two girls but love for you I'd do anything. Please, I love you, don't leave me."

~"~"~"~"~"~

Fate woke up again and felt like she'd been hit by a freight truck. Every part of her ached but nothing more so than her heart. She could hear a soft murmur that had a faintly familiar tone to it. But no matter how she tried she couldn't clearly hear what was being said. She looked about her and recognized she was on a film set, she looked at the props and settings and tried to remember why she was here, was she a producer or actor? What was the script? Then a side door opened and her mirror image entered. Long blonde hair tied back with a white ribbon, a white sundress with small flowers embroidered onto its edges with white leather sandals her sister looked every inch the American Angel she claimed to be.

A perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose and Alicia spoke, "Well what are you waiting for? You need to get to wardrobe and get dressed. The execution scene needs to be shot."

Fate found herself nodding as Alicia herded her towards a door at the back of the soundstage. The seamstress's face was a blur and the outfit she found herself in was that of condemned prisoner who would be burnt at the stake. The burlap nature of the woven hemp dress made her skin itch as the wooden sandals made the soles of her feet ache.

As she stood staring into the full length mirror her sister came up behind her. With a pair of long bladed scissors in one hand and the other ruthless gripping her hair at the roots she began to cut Fate's hair. It was only when the sharp blades scraped her scalp that she cried out as blood now mixed with rapidly disappearing clumps of hair on her head.

Snip, snip, snip, drip, drip, drip. Now nearly bald and bleeding heavily from multiple wounds on her scalp she felt her head being pulled back by the scruff of her neck. Her sister once again clearly visible in the mirror as she whispered in her ear, "There now, you're all set for the final scene. Remember we're going for realism so feel free to scream as much as you like."

Then like a mindless automaton she allowed herself to be led to the stake. Death would be a welcome friend, an escape from the pain and loneliness that seemed her lot in life. She was about to step up onto the platform when in the corner of her eye she saw some gleaming on the ground. As if drawn to it like a magnet she saw it was a diamond ring but it was the flanking sapphires that drew her mesmerized gaze. The color reminded her of someone. Her sister made to knock the ring out of her hands but Fate closed her grip around it and the murmuring suddenly grew louder.

The words, "I love you," came to her clearly, then she heard, "Come back to me, I need you."

The image of sapphire eyes appeared before her and thick auburn hair and the scent of vanilla and cinnamon. Suddenly a name came to her and a feeling of warmth filled her, Nanoha. She looked around her and tried to find an escape route. When suddenly her sister was standing in front of her again, ruby eyes glinting with hate, "Who said you could leave? You get your pathetic ass on that platform. You're going to burn for the good of the family and for all the evil you have committed."

There was a struggle and for the first time in her life Fate no longer cared if she hurt her sister. It had been many years since Alicia had even paused before saying something cutting to her let alone stayed her hand from pinching or slapping her. As they struggled they came closer to the platform and she somehow knew as soon as someone was standing upon it, it would ignite. It shouldn't have been so hard but suddenly the prissy Alicia was fighting like a wildcat pushing closer to her demise.

Then the murmuring became intelligible once again and Fate heard, "I can't live without you," and a few seconds later, "Our children need their Fate-mama."

Suddenly the image of the speaker became more vivid…vivid…Vivio…Einhart…Fia…Sora. Her daughters and Nanoha needed her. Alicia may have given birth to Einhart but the girl belonged to her, she would not relinquish her place as her mother.

With a ruthlessness she had never even contemplated using with her sister before now she turned the tide of the battle and with no hesitation she flung her sister onto the platform and less than a second later the flames ignited and her tormentor was gone. She looked about and saw a door with light seeming to seep around the edges. She had to get back to her family, her real family, the people who loved her and she loved more than life itself.

~"~"~"~"~"~

Nanoha laid next to her wife, her left hand laying on her chest giving her reassurance as she was able feel the rise and fall of each breath and the soft thump of a heartbeat under her palm. The soft whimpering of nightmares awoke her and she raised her head to press a kiss to her wife's sweaty brow.

Whispering gently she tried to sooth her wife with words of love, "Fate-chan, its okay. We're all safe, everyone is waiting for you to wake up, please love wake up."

The blonde settled with the words and soothing touches but failed to stir. Nanoha sighed and settled herself again against her wife. Nanoha stared at her profile and her let the soft sounds of medical machines and hum of voices from the hall fade into the back ground as she once again focused her mind on the steady breathing of her lover.

An hour or more had passed in this quiet vigil when the soft thump of crutches broke her out of her musings. The sight of her daughter in the doorway made her sit up carefully. Tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear she asked her daughter in all but blood, "What is it Sweet Pea? Is Vivio okay?"

Einhart's smile reminded her painfully of Fate at that moment, and Nanoha had to swallow a gasp of pain. The happiness and relief in the dark heterochromatic eyes almost screamed her reply.

"Vi-chan just woke up, she wanted me to check on you and get an update on Fate-mama. I'm trying to keep her positive and seeing as it's nearly lunch time now I think we can begin to hope for mom to wake up sometime soon. You being by her side all night seems to have done the trick. Mom never could deny you anything; she'd crawl on her stomach through broken glass to be with you if necessary."

Nanoha felt tears sting her eyes at these words, looking down at her lap she tried to smile. Years of acting seemed to fail her instantly as she let her tears flow after her voice cracked.

Einhart was suddenly fearful, surely Nanoha believed Fate would wake up soon, she had to believe, she was Fate's keystone, if she failed then Fate's whole world would collapse. Vivio held the same vital role in her life, without the wonders that were the Takamachi women in their lives both she and Fate would be nothing but living dolls playing at life. Thumping over to the bedside she sat clumsily beside her crying mother. Snaking an arm around her she pulled the older woman into her arms and Nanoha cried harder. The embrace was so much like Fate's warm and strong, but this was her child not her wife. In a broken voice she cried out, "Oh god, please don't take her away from me."

Einhart pulled her mother into a tighter embrace, and spoke passionately, "She won't leave you Nanoha-mama, you have to believe that. Just be brave and strong, be the lifeline she needs to come back to us."

She held the woman quietly for a few moments then a vague memory came back to her which made her laugh.

Nanoha stiffened at the sound.

Realizing she had to explain her outburst she smiled and tried to sooth her mother, "Shhh Nanoha-mama, did you know she used to draw your picture when she was in the hospital after the accident? That's why I wasn't scared of you when we all first met; I'd seen your face so many times in her drawings. It wasn't even the same picture over and over again; she'd draw something familiar then place you there as if you were with us. So was so scared of frightening you off with her scars, both the physical and mental ones that she refused to reach out to you but even then she wanted you nearby even if only on paper. Hold onto her, keep talking to her and she'll come back to us. For you she'd fight the devil himself."

Einhart pushed her mother away gently and looked into her tear streaked face. With a tenderness inherited from her Fate-mama she brushed away the hot tears and then kissed her mother's forehead.

"I believe in both of you. You two have been the best role models I could ever hope for. I know we're all tired and edgy but now's the time for you to draw on that Takamachi stubbornness and push Fate with everything you've got, Full Power, Full Throttle, don't let her give up.

Nanoha gave a half hearted laugh at that and swallowed her fears. Giving her daughter a watery smile she said, "That's right Ein-chan, this is no difference than getting her up in the morning after a late night. She might think I'm going to let her just sleep in but it's time for her to wake up and face the day."

Einhart's smile broadened at this, "Good, I'll leave you to it. Vi's probably ready to crawl out of that bed of hers to get over here for any news. Best I get back to her and make sure she behaves herself."

Nanoha's smile strengthened at that, and with the first real sign of humor she'd displayed in over thirty hours she said, "Good luck with that."

~"~"~"~

Arf Testarossa-Wolkenritter had the headache of the century but considering the alternatives she was happy to be dealing with it. Her husband had been complaining most of the morning over Fate's handling of the Scaglietti situation but considering the fact the worst players were either dead or incapacitated she really couldn't complain. Her fear that Fate would slip away was gradually lessening as Nanoha regained her own equilibrium and her normal optimistic outlook on life. The things the woman was saying to her unconscious cousin would be enough to turn the blonde into a tomato if she'd been awake. Arf was sure at any moment the blonde would spring up and clamp her wife's mouth shut. Nanoha really was something else; Fate sure did pick a spitfire to fall in love with but a lesser woman would have been overwhelmed.

She looked up at the small figure being wheeled into her room by a tall red haired man and couldn't help smiling. Caro was now able to sit up and had shown her Testarossa stubbornness by demanding to be wheeled over to the ward where the rest of her family was being housed. The tiny pink haired woman had checked on her godmother and was now taking a minute to check on her favorite aunty. The two spoke of innocuous things until the thumping of crutches stole their attention.

Einhart smiled at the threesome and asked with a rather sheepish blush on her face if Caro would be willing to speak with Vivio for a few moments. The young blonde wanted to bury the hatch between them and ask for a favor.

The girl nodded and had her fiancé wheel her into the next room over. Seeing the normally hyperactive Vivio pale and weak was a shock to the system but the girl's eyes still held the energetic liveliness she was known for.

Einhart and Erio excused themselves and the pair took in each other's physical presence for a quiet moment before Vivio broke the silence. With a voice tinged with bone deep weariness she said, "Caro Ru Lushe I am sorry for having been a complete and utter pain in the ass to you and my habitual snipping at you. I hope in the future we can learn to be friends. Einhart really cares for you and outside of me you are the only other person I know she'd ever turn to if she had a problem. I know she wants you to stand up with her when we get married and I really hope you agree. You are her best friend and it's that as much as your genetic relationship with Fate that has always bugged me. You have no idea how much I wanted to be you growing up. But that's not the case anymore and if I wasn't such a dense brat I'd have realized being me wasn't such a bad thing a long time ago. Since Nanoha and Fate married I have had a family that loves me for me. I also gained the greatest person I have ever met as a sister and over time I somehow captured her heart too. God knows Einhart is a million times too good for me but she wants me and I'd be a fool to refuse her when she's all I have ever wanted."

Caro was stunned mute for a moment as she tried to think of a reasonable reply to this. Running her hand through her hair she found herself speaking without really thinking. "Vivio, I have to tell you the idea of being Fate's daughter has always been overwhelming to me. I never really wanted to face that fact, as stupid as this will sound I was happier being Carim's daughter because her legacy will be a million times easier to not only live up to but supersede. The idea that you wanted that kind of pressure of being Fate's daughter always made me think you were crazy.

But then again I think it's that craziness that I think attracted Einhart, you never appear to be scared of anything. You're a lot like Nanoha that way; it's always been Full Power, Full Throttle as Einhart describes the two of you. Einhart has always been more like Fate in she has always sought acceptance and would bend over backwards to gain it. You unlike us who share blood with Fate have never had to question your place in her life; she chose to be your mother out of love, not some weird sense of obligation. Einhart could have been jealous of your relationship with Fate growing up but instead she's thankful you and your mom came along when you did.

With me and Einhart we know we're the leftovers, Alicia and Carim's foundlings, our mothers didn't know the first thing about being parents and without her pity on us we'd likely be as screwed up as them today. While I know Fate's not perfect but honestly her legacy is beyond belief, and I think you more than any of us have a better chance of succeeding to her level of fame and talent because you put everything you are into what you do. Einhart and I have admitted to each other a long time ago to feeling pretty hollow most of the time, you on the other hand just burst at the seams with life."

Vivio frowned a she listened to Caro speak then couldn't help laughing at the end, "Caro, the only reason I have ever been able to put myself forward in the entertainment industry was because I desperately wanted Einhart's attention. I was just too blind to see why her attention was so important to me until recently. All the goofball hyperactive nonsense I'm famous for is an act, a calculated act to keep one person all to myself. Since the day I met Einhart she has been the center of my universe and every time I thought I was going to lose her you better believe I acted out. I love Fate and Nanoha, they are without a doubt the best parents a child could ask for but without Einhart standing at Fate's side I doubt I would have made as much of an effort to get close to her.

Oh, and don't sell yourself short with Fate, she's loved you like a daughter since the day you were born. Her donating her ovum to Carim may have been filled with self-interest at the time but the moment you were taken into child custody when your father snapped she rushed to be by your side. Not out of obligation, she could have had Arf deal with the whole thing and stayed in Japan but she came out of love and concern for you. Not her former crush, not because it would make her look good in the press but because she loves you. She even risked her relationship with Nanoha to come be with you, you have to recognize how important you are to her. All of us kids, no matter how we came to be part of her life, she loves us and will always want to protect us."

Caro felt tears come to her eyes at this last bit, she knew why had been born, to be a permanent link between Fate and her first love. That her mother then spit in her genetic mother's face and her father in the end practically stabbed her in the back made her feel sick. Why would Fate bother keeping her around, she was a constant reminder of betrayal. Vivio's words were a soothing balm on a hidden sore on her soul. Fate loved her because of who she was as an individual, not because of who her mother was. Not even the knowledge of who her father was was enough to kill that love. Pushing her wheelchair forward she found herself as close as she could maneuver herself to Vivio and reached out to the blonde. With a bright Takamachi smile she in turn grasped her hand in both her own and gave it a gentle squeeze and shake before releasing her.

It had been years in the making but suddenly Caro felt like she might have taken a step closer to accepting who she really was and perhaps finding a place within the crazy Takamachi-Testarossa clan.

~"~"~"~

It was nearing midnight of the third day after the Scaglietti Incident and Fate seemed to fighting to regain consciousness but had failed to open her eyes. Her body twitched and on occasion she let out a moan or groan but no intelligible sound had passed her lips. Fate's body shuddered and Nanoha began to worry, was this the beginning of the end? If her wife was about to die then she would leave loved and wanted. Brushing back her wife's fringe before allowing her hand to cup the slightly bruised flesh of her cheek and sooth the flushed heat with her cool hand.

Pressing her lips gently to bruised lips then she pressed their foreheads together and whispered, "I love you Fate-chan. Nothing will ever change that."

The whimpering eased and lashes fluttered before burgundy eyes hazy with pain opened. Nanoha felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders and tears came to her eyes. Fate recognized the sapphires that seemed to make up the entire existence of her world instantly. Her throat ached and felt as parched as the Sahara Desert but she had to speak. Croaking she choked out, "Sorry."

Nanoha sighed and gave her wife her best 'you're in trouble now' look. With a tone that brooked no argument she said, "You had best be sorry Fate Takamachi-Testarossa. You are going to be making this up to me for years, perhaps even decades! How dare you scare me like this, I thought I was going to lose you."

Then she reached over to the bedside table and poured out a glass of water and with the bendy straw practically forced her wife to drink. After half a glass was consumed and Fate's head laid limply on her pillow she set the glass down. Fate looked at her wife with the best set of puppy eyes she could muster in her current state of pain before trying to beg for forgiveness.

Her voice still rough she pleaded, "Nano-love, please forgive me. I was an arrogant fool to think I could take them all on by myself. I promise I will never do something so stupid again. I let my pride and thirst for vengeance drive rational thought from my head. I'll do anything you want if you'll just forgive me."

Nanoha smiled at her wife, and Fate suddenly realized she'd made a deal with a devil. Sapphire eyes gleamed with triumph, "Oh Fate-chan I'm so happy you said that, just as soon as the doctors clear you for the ovum harvesting process we can begin. I really want to be pregnant by Christmas but that's probably not feasible, I guess it'd be enough if I was pregnant before my next birthday in the spring."

Fate lay in her bed with her mouth gapping like a trout as she tried to wrap her mind around the idea of her wife becoming pregnant after such a long time.

Nanoha's 'nyahaha' seemed to snap her out of her trance, in a stumbling stammer she said, "A bbba-baa…baby?"

Nanoha settled back onto the bed and took her wife's hand into her lap where she gripped it tightly. "That's right love. I want another baby with you. So I expect you to rest and regain your health and strength as quickly as possible."

Then she leaned over and pressed a sweet and loving kiss to her wife's trembling lips. With a loving smile she stood up and said, "Relax for a minute, I need to let the others know you're awake, they'll want to see you."

Fate nodded and decided if she was still dreaming then she liked this one, and who knows if she did have to wake up again later perhaps her Nanoha would still have this enticing idea. A baby, she'd given up hope for anymore children and now suddenly Nanoha was all but demanding another child, life couldn't get much better than this.

~"~"~"~"~

A/N2: Okay you guys really didn't think I'd go with the whole angsty suicide route? Perhaps one more chapter to get the whole gang together for an epilogue and a bunch of warm fuzzies to cleanse us of all the icky muck that was Jail and Quattro.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

A/N: As promised this chapter is all about the love our favorite characters share. The lemons turned a bit strange for me but considering the way this story has completely run off the rails I shouldn't be surprised. A bit of BDSM in this and I just can't explain how it happened…Nothing extreme but I guess this version of NanoFate enjoy it as they led me there when I was looking for something a bit more fluffy. But fear not, there will be fluff!

Don't fear for Nanoha and pregnancy, she refused to have another baby before because they already had a full house at the time; it was Fate's health that restricted her from carrying more babies. With Vivio and Einhart out of the house and the younger girls getting more independent now is a perfect time for another baby or maybe babies…heehee.

Read and review. I love hearing from readers and reviews feed the muse… there will have to be a separate epilogue because I want to do a couple time jumps. I had to stop when I did as to start the jumps after a love-love scene felt wrong.

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own MGLN, still not making any money off this.

~"~"~"~"~

Fate felt gentle fingers run through her hair and she couldn't help smiling into her warm cocoon. When warm soft lips brushed the crown of her head she snuggled deeper into her wife's breasts and planted a few kisses of her own on the warm flesh.

"MMhhmm, Fate-chan you better behave yourself, the girls will be up any minute and I doubt they want to start Christmas morning traumatized."

Fate's only response was to pull the blankets over her head and then latch her mouth to an enticingly plump nipple. Nanoha's gasp and arching into her was all the urging she needed to take her ministrations to the next level. Running one hand up and down the soft expanse of her wife's torso, allowing her palm to brush over the other peak that was now begging for attention. Long fingers began to tease and lightly pinch the nub of flesh until it was hard as a pebble and then she moved her mouth to it to sooth the sensitive flesh with her loving tongue.

Nanoha was whimpering above her and had a finger in her mouth, firmly held between her white teeth as she tried to restrain herself. Her other hand had lodged itself in Fate's hair in what should have been a desperate attempt to push the blonde away but was now holding her tightly to her breast. When Fate finally released the throbbing nipple she groaned around her finger and tried to speak but then hot open mouth kisses and a sensuous tongue began blazing a path southward and coherent thought fled once more.

Soft nips to the tender flesh of her inner thighs made her gasp and squirm. Strong yet gentle hands grasped her and pulled her legs open causing her breathe to shudder. She could feel a warm breathe blow across her now exposed womanhood. Bring both her hands to her face she covered her flushed cheeks and gave herself over to the pleasure only her Fate-chan could give her.

First a gentle tongue probed her folds, lapping up the excess nectar that flowed from her now pulsating flower. The teasing flickers of the slick invader causing Nanoha's voice to finally break loose.

"Ah! Fate-chan please. I…I need. Ah…more…please…inside."

Fate felt a flood of heat burn through her; she loved the throaty nature of her wife's voice at moments like this. The breathy pleas made her feel like she was on top of the world. And in a way she was, at that moment she pressed her hot mouth to Nanoha's needy center and reveled in having the beautiful auburn haired woman under her.

Each thrust of her tongue brought her lover closer to the edge, the sweet nectar flow and the delicious moans escape from Nanoha's lips. Fate's world had shrunk to this small bubble of warmth that contained her and Nanoha.

Nanoha's left hand reached down and found her wife's hand that was gently kneading her thigh and locked their fingers together, her voice more a desperate moan than coherent words.

Pulling back Fate let her tongue swipe the length of her wife's slit and moved her mouth's attention to the hard nub as her hand slid up to take its rightful place. Slipping in first one long digit into her lover's warmth she sighed at the tight heat that gripped her. Slow and languid strokes stoked the flames and soon Nanoha was bucking her hips to meet each thrust trying to take in more of her love. A second finger was soon added as the pace became more frantic. Fate could feel Nanoha tighten, the interrupted breathing a sure sign of her impending orgasm, just another push was needed.

Firmly sucking the hard nub of her wife's pleasure and thrusting deeply as she could she curled her fingers and brushed her wife's sweet spot overwhelming her. The shuddering tremors of Nanoha's release came with a sweet flood of juices which Fate drank down with a fervor. The soft flickering tongue extending the pleasure for a few extra moments.

Nanoha pulled her wife up to face her, blonde hair was a disheveled mess, her mouth still moist with her passion, cheeks flushed and burgundy eyes dilated with lust. _God, she loved this woman._ She pulled her down to her and kissed her passionately tasting herself on Fate's lips and knew if she didn't get to taste her wife this morning she'd be very cranky until she did. Pushing her wife over she then rolled onto her and looked down on the now prone blonde.

"Naughty Fate-chan, I'm going to have to punish you now for not listening to me."

Grabbing the blonde's hands she forced them over her wife's head and with her robe's belt tied them to the headboard. Fate's breathe caught and she tried to plea for her freedom, if Nanoha was going to touch her then she needed to be able to touch her back. Being tied up was torture, to see but not touch, receive but not give back equally would leave her frustrated beyond belief.

"Please Nanoha let me go, I promise to behave myself. I need to touch you, you look so beautiful and I love you so much."

Sapphire eyes gleamed with love and lust, "Nuh-uh Fate-chan, it's my turn and I plan on making you pay for your little power trip. You know I can't resist you and just overwhelmed me when we should be getting ready for the rest of our family waking up. Ah well, a few more minutes delay won't hurt and I want to hear you call out my name when you cum."

Kissing her wife senseless she then made her way down to the long length of her neck, peppering it with kisses and little nips. At her wife's shoulder she stopped to gently bite her and left a slight red mark with her teeth. Fate loved it when Nanoha marked her but the auburn haired woman refused to ever injury her wife, no blood and nothing more damaging than a love mark where it wouldn't be visible to outsiders but where Fate would feel it until it healed.

Flicking her tongue over the abused flesh to sooth it and make sure Fate felt the mark deep inside. The moan coming from her and the way she jerked at her restrains made it clear she was loving this. Moving lower she pressed hard kisses to her chest and then took one of her wife's pouting nipples into her mouth. Sucking hard on the tender nub made her wife buck under her and cry out.

Switching to the other breast she made sure both nipples where throbbing and aching before she descended further. Fate would be sensitive all day thanks to her ministrations and she looked forward to teasing the blonde later by wriggling against her. Nipping at the flat stomach and leaving love marks at her panty-line which would be agitated whenever she walked or moved her waist. The desperate groans Fate was making made it clear she knew her torment wasn't going to end once they left the bedroom and she'd likely be spending most of the day in a lust haze thanks to her evil wife.

Again Nanoha moved lower and made sure to bite the tender insides of Fate's thighs and felt her head being grasped between Fate's long legs holding her prisoner for a moment. It was only when she slid her hands up the silky length of Fate's legs and then gripped her wife's buttock hard that she relented shuddering at the almost bruising force Nanoha had used. Dipping her head to finally capture her prize she then drank in all of Fate's overflowing honey.

Sharp teeth raked over the tender flesh and grazed over her throbbing clit making her buck mindlessly into her wife's face. The frantic noises Fate was making and the heady aroma of her lust made Nanoha crazy and after pulling away to take a deep breath to center herself she looked over her wanton wife.

Licking her lips she moved up between her wife's legs and jerked Fate's leg over her thigh. Pressing their centers together and began to thrust relentlessly into her wife. Each impact of slick flesh making a wet smack that told of their desperate need.

The fact the powerful and talented blonde was now completely submissive beneath her, so willing and defenseless drove Nanoha's lust to a higher peak. With every atom in her being she dominated the blonde and found her release, Fate following over the edge into her own release crying out her lover's name when Nanoha arched into and her hot release flooded over her. Nanoha collapsed onto her wife and with a shaky hand release her wife's bonds and brought Fate's hands to her lips. Kissing the slight red marks around her wrists and massaged her hands and wrists to make sure circulation restored them back to normal.

Fate looked at her wife with a heated glance, the gentleness of Nanoha after their lovemaking often made her hotter than she had been before her release. She knew Nanoha was her perfect match; no one else could make her feel, or want like she did. Teenage hormones could be blamed for her infatuation with Carim and even her fleeting crushes on costars but no one had ever touched her soul, not until Nanoha. Brushing back her wife's messy bangs she smiled at the sated look on her face. That Nanoha could find pleasure in being with her after their harrowing experiences relieve her mind and heart more than words could describe. If she had lost Nanoha…no, it didn't bear thinking about.

Nanoha smiled at her wife as they settle on their sides facing each other. Reaching out she let a finger outline a new scar on her wife's face. It was already fading into almost nothing but the memory of her lover laying in a pool of her own blood would haunt her forever. A soft thumb tipped Fate's face up so she could kiss her.

Sighing at the sweetness Nanoha's smile broadened and she said, "Merry Christmas Fate-chan."

"Merīkurisumasu Nanoha. I guess it's time to get cleaned up and face the invading hordes."

"Hmm, considering they're our family and they did come all this way to spend the holidays with us we should be grateful."

"If Hayate tries to force either of us into a skimpy Santa suit again I'm going to kick her out. I'm the only one who gets to ogle Nanoha and that little pervert just gets worst as the years go by. I really pity Rein."

"Aww I wanted to see Fate-chan in that outfit again, you looked so cute in it last time."

Fate blushed at this and floundered, she didn't want to disappoint Nanoha but really didn't want their children to see her in such an outfit or give Hayate ammunition to tease her.

"Well if it's for Nanoha… but not around others…um maybe after the girls go to bed tonight."

Nanoha laughed at this before kissing her blushing wife, "I love you so much Fate-chan. And I agree with you about you wearing that kind of outfit in front of anyone else but each other. Fate-chan is mine and no one gets to see you like that but me."

Her glance went lower and she said in a sultry tone, "I can't wait for Santa to bring me my present tonight."

Fate felt her heart skip a beat, heaven help her Nanoha was going to be the death of her but really, what a way to go.

~"~"~"~"~

After an invigorating shower the pair made their way to the kitchen. Shamal was already up and cooking up a storm. The blonde older woman gave the pair a knowing smile, "Merry Christmas you two! Coffee and tea are ready but food will still take a few more minutes."

Shamal then turned back to cooking a mountain of scrambled eggs and flipping French toast. Nanoha was about to pour out a cup of tea when Hayate came in through the second entryway to the kitchen still in her PJs, brown sleep pants that sported a ringed tail and a long sleeve shirt with a hood that had a pair of raccoon ears sewn onto it. The petite brunette yawned sleepily and gratefully took a cup of coffee from her elder cousin who immediately took pity on the sleepy looking tanuki.

Taking a deep breath to savory the smell of the freshly brewed ambrosia she then took a fortifying gulp before looking squintily at her hosts. "Merry Christmas, yawn… ah you two look way too bright eyed and bushy tailed for this time of the morning. Heehee Nanoha-chan must have already made this a _very_ Merry Christmas for you Fate-onee-chan."

Before either woman could reply to this a silver haired woman entered the room having caught the last bit of Hayate's comment. Her quiet, "Hayate," made the offender freeze like a deer in headlights and immediately spout apologies to her two oldest and dearest friends.

Shamal smirked at this and handed the new comer a cup of coffee. Rein took a small sip then satisfied Hayate had apologized for her outrageous remarks leant over and kissed her on the cheek which made the brunette blush madly. Fate was loving this whole dynamic; finally there was a set of brakes attached to Hayate's mouth.

Taking in the silver haired woman's attire she couldn't help smiling, the woman was wearing a similar set of PJs but hers made her into a silver fox. Fate suddenly had a sinking feeling she knew what was in that pile of packages Hayate had carted halfway across the world. If past experience served her well the whole family would soon be dressed as various wildlife and photos would be snapped to commemorate the cuteness. Nanoha came to the same conclusion and was actually looking forward to seeing what creature Fate would soon be dressed up as.

The younger couple coffee in one hand offered to carry dishes to the main dining room and set off as Nanoha took up her apron to help Shamal with the frying of bacon and sausages. Fate decided to stay out of the way and just enjoy the domestic scene by pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting down at the breakfast nook. A few minutes later Signum joined her at the small table to partake in a cup of liquid gold. Signum was less a morning person than Fate and the fact that Fate had her blitz out goofy grin on her face this early made the older woman want to smack her.

In her gravelly alto she said grudgingly, "Merry Christmas everyone. Coffee please."

Shamal had just placed a cup in her wife's hand when the two youngest members of the happy family stampeded into the kitchen calling out, "Merry Christmas," at the top of their lungs.

Signum groaned, they could be nearly as bad as Hayate when she was hopped up on sugar and caffeine. When the brunette came back into the kitchen at the noise it was clear she'd already imbibed her coffee which was more sugar and cream with a double shot of espresso and often had the consistency of syrup.

"Merry Christmas Siggy! And a Merry Christmas to you both my little shrimpetts!"

Fia was less than amused at being called a shrimp; she was nearly as tall as her Aunt. In her best innocent child's voice she said, "Merry Christmas Your Majesty."

Hayate knew she was being set up but took the bait anyway, "Oh since when have you recognized my majesty?"

The girl smirked, "Well if we are your shrimpetts that must make you the leader of shrimps since you're such a midget."

Hayate growled at this and tried to pounce on the girl to tickle her into submission and begging for forgiveness. The auburn haired girl ran straight into the dining room and took cover behind her Aunty Rein. This stalled out Hayate's plans for revenge…at least for now.

Sora hugged both her mothers and aunties before settling on Fate's lap, excited but still drowsy, Fia had dragged her out of bed despite her pleas for ten more minutes of undisturbed sleep. Fate kissed her daughter's forehead and snuggled Sora into her enjoying the sweet scent of her hair which was slightly darker than her own.

"Poor baby bluebird, did that wily squirrel of a sister drag you out of bed too early?"

Sora hummed her agreement and let her sapphire eyes close peacefully as she began to doze off in her mother's arms.

Nanoha turned to look at this endearing sight and felt her heart contract painfully, she really wanted another baby. Fate was so beautiful when holding their children; it just took her breath away. Fate had started the hormone treatments which would ready her for donating her eggs two days before and it was hoped some time after the New Year she's be ready for the next step. Nanoha's hand brushed down her stomach and felt a rush of urgency, she wasn't getting any younger and perhaps this time, if they were lucky, they would have twins. Proper twins that loved and supported each other, and shared the kind of sisterhood Fate had always wanted to have with Alicia.

The auburn haired woman was snapped out of her reverie by Shamal's sharp, "Nanoha! The bacon!"

Nanoha turned back to the stove and quickly pull out the now nearly charcoal like crispy piece of bacon out of the frying pan. Fate saw Nanoha's embarrassment at this and said with warm humor, "I'll take that piece Nano-love, you know I like my bacon extra crispy."

Nanoha pouted at that teasing tone, "Mou Fate-chan! I really will make you eat that piece; it was all your fault for distracting me anyway."

Fate stood up with one arm holding Sora tightly to her and strode over to her wife and smiling pressed a quick kiss to her nose before picking up the offending piece of bacon and popping it in her mouth. It really was burnt and made her nose wrinkle for a moment as she chewed then swallowed. The satisfied smile she gave Nanoha afterwards was met with an incredulous look.

Sighing and shaking her head, "You are so silly Fate-chan; you'll get a stomachache like that."

Fate was about to say something sweet and corny about it being worth it to make her wife happy when the kitchen door swung open again and a bright chirpy voice sung out, "Merry Christmas everyone!"

Vivio was still using a cane to move around but was well on her way to a full recovery while her fiancée had finally lost both cast and crutches but was still dealing with a slight limp thanks to her running on her broken leg. The darker woman smiled at the collection of people in the room and wished them a Merry Christmas a bit more sedately but with equal happiness as her lover.

Einhart made her way to the counter and poured out two cups of tea and prepared them before turning back to her blonde and with a gentle but firm tone said, "Sit down Vi-chan and drink your tea, the doctors said you still need to take it easy."

With a fake pout the blonde made her way to the breakfast nook and sat down next to Signum who looked like she still needed more coffee. Maybe an IV drip with caffeine would help; the Takamachi-Testarossas were far too lively in the morning. A couple of sips of tea and coffee later and breakfast was ready and the family filed into the dining room. Already there Hayate, Rein, Fia and Vita awaited them, already settled in their normal spots.

The petite red head called out a greeting and quick Merry Christmas before falling on the pile of bacon and eggs. Shamal laughed at the voracious eater, the young woman could eat like a horse but never seemed to gain a pound, so unfair!

The ebb and flow of the morning conversation was one of gentle teasing and exchange of news. The Yagamis and Wolkenritters had been staying with them a week but there was still so much to talk about that it was hard to remember what hadn't been shared yet.

"So Fate-chan when will the others be over?" Shamal asked.

Fate looked down at her watch and said, "Mom will be coming with Tea and Subaru at nine, Lindy said she and Chrono with his family will try to be here about that time too but Karel is bring home his girlfriend for the first time and that might derail them. Arisa and Suzuka will be here sometime after noon; Arisa wants to visit some distant relatives living nearby before heading over here. Caro and Erio will be here for lunch and Arf and her boys will coming by for dinner, Zafira is still a bit angry with me so they might not stay long."

Nanoha reached for her wife's hand and squeezed it; Zafira had said some rather cutting things to Fate about her plan to deal with Scaglietti and his Numeri. While the whole thing had snowballed out of her control the end result was one everyone but him had come to accept was the best that could have been expected. Nanoha personally thought his grumpy stance came from the fact that he hadn't gotten a chance to pound on the people who had hurt his wife. Hayate merely smiled at this, she had been working on her stubborn cousin and had a surprise for her friends.

With breakfast finished and the dishes cleaned the family trooped into the living room. Hayate loved this house, it was here she really got to know Fate as a teen and had in a small way fallen for her. Seeing the bond between Nanoha and Fate develop almost instantly had hurt her and she had buried her unrequited feelings. It was only when Reinforce Wynde came into her life that she had been able to let go of her childhood crush and move on. The silver haired woman's eyes were so like Fate's it had startled her and had instantly put her on the defensive. But slowly and with a gentleness Hayate had never known Rein had wormed her way into her heart. Rein wasn't a replacement for Fate; she was an individual, clearly unique and the most wonderful thing to have happened to her.

Rein loved her Hayate, her liveliness and humor made the orphan girl feel a happiness she'd never known. That they had both grown up without parents had been the first common ground they had found and had forged a friendship stronger than steel which then went on to bloom into romantic love. Rein had felt an instant physical attraction but was far too shy and reserved to put herself forward. It was only after seeing Hayate become a stumbling, mumbling awkward teen around her that gave her the resolve to try and take their relationship to the next level. She never regretted that decision, Hayate was the Queen of her life, her mistress whose gentle heart and laughing eyes made her world brighter.

The pair sat snuggled together on a love seat and both had secret smiles as they knew soon the house would be bursting at the seams. The doorbell ring was the first sign of things to come. Each group came with heaps of presents and hugs and kisses. The younger generation would have been relegated to the floor if not for the injuries many of them still were healing from. Chairs were pulled into the living room from the dining room and soon over thirty people had packed themselves into the room. The squeal of happiness when Nanoha's parents and her siblings (with their families) arrived was almost deafening. The laughing and joking masking the heartening scene of Zafira mending bridges with Fate who tearful hugged her cousin-in-law.

When Hayate jumped up and began passing out packages everyone in the room who knew the woman groaned. The only ignorant person being Miura, both Vivio and Einhart were surprised to see her again under these circumstances. Miura shyly pointed out she had been friends with Karel for years and it was only recently they had taken their relationship to the next level. Miura maybe a fan of the Takamachis and Testarossas but she was truly in love with Karel Harlaown. When the pink haired girl opened her package she blushed at the outfit, a set of pink panther PJs. Karel laughed at the cuteness and showed her his own set which was almost matching but his were in a dark navy blue.

Just as Fate had feared everyone received a pair PJs and soon she was being dragged off to change into her new yellow puppy PJs. She would have smacked Hayate for her outrageousness if not for her enthusiasm to see Nanoha in her pink kitty PJs. Einhart was blushing beet red at the enthusiasm Vivio was showing at her tiger PJs but she had to admit seeing the blonde in her white bunny PJs was well worth the embarrassment. The younger girls came back in their own PJs, Fia in a set of brown Squirrel PJs and Sora in a set of pastel bluebird PJs, the sleeves extra long to hide her hands and making her arms look like wings.

It was nearing lunch time and the presents had finally been completely opened and the resulting mess cleaned up when Einhart decided it was time to ask her fiancée to marry her one more time. She really didn't want Vivio having to think about that terrible day as their engagement day, plus they now had their _entire_ family here. Sliding down on her good knee she took Vivio's hands as the room fell quiet.

"Vivio Takamachi-Testarossa, I love you with all I am. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life by your side. I swear I'll do anything and everything I can to make you happy and support you. Will you make all my dreams come true by agreeing to be my wife? Marry me, please love."

Vivio laughed and threw herself at her fiancée knocking them to the floor for a heated kiss. Pulling back she grinned, "You are so sweet Ein-chan, but you didn't have to ask again. I've already agreed to marry you twice now."

With her crooked Testarossa smile about to split from the sheer amount of joy flooding her she said, "I know love but the first time I didn't have a ring and the second time we were interrupted. I want you to be able to look back on our engagement and think it was perfect."

Kissing the tip of Einhart's nose she said, "Love, as long as it's you doing the asking that's all that's needed to for it to be perfect."

Fia groaned at the sappiness, "You two are worst then mom and mama. I really hope I don't turn into such a sap when I grow up."

Sora punched her sister on the arm, "You are such a savage Fia. I pity the person who falls in love with you."

Fate cut off them before they could get out of hand by picking up Fia and as Nanoha moved to take a hold of Sora, "Enough both of you. You are both far too young to be thinking about falling in love. In fact I don't want to hear the word boyfriend or girlfriend from either of you until after you're twenty, preferably thirty but I'll take what I can get."

Sora knew she was just stirring the pot but couldn't help the parting shot, "It'll likely be thirty before Fia matures enough to actually be a viable candidate for a romantic relationship."

The auburn haired girl just stuck her tongue out at her sister as she hung limply in her mother's arms.

This brought laughter to everyone and Hayate pointed out, "Hey Nanoha-chan weren't you like that up until you met a certain someone. Relationships are all just too much trouble. What's the point in all that lovey-dovey nonsense?"

Nanoha smiled at her friend's words, "Well, I was kinda right, what would have been the point in getting involved with random strangers when my soul-mate was waiting just around the corner for me?"

Then she smirked, "You seemed to have taken the same route as me, no dating until a certain someone cracked you out of your protective shell. I wonder if Rein knows she stole your first kiss?"

Hayate blushed and waved her hands in front of her, "That's not true I kissed before. I dated; don't make me sound so lame Nanoha!"

Rein laughed at this and hugged Hayate and kissed her cheek. She then whispered something in her ear and the blushed deepened but she stopped trying to deny her so-called lameness.

~"~"~"~"~

Einhart was getting ready for bed, thankful the long and exhausting day was finally over so she could get a few moments alone with her fiancée. She was about to step into the shower when she caught a glimpse of gold and warm arms wrapped themselves around her. The feeling of Vivio's bare breast pressing into her back made her groan.

"Vi please, you're killing me."

Warm hands smoothed their way up from her waist to cup her breasts as soft lips pressed kisses onto her neck. The hot whisper of breath that blew across her ear made it hard to concentrate as Vivio spoke, "I just wanted to help you in the shower. I can scrub your back and help you wash your hair."

With a shaky voice she replied, "Vi we both know if you get in the shower with me getting clean will be the last thing on either of our minds. I have a hard enough time restraining myself as it is, don't tease me."

"Einhart the doctors cleared me for sex. I'm perfectly healthy and incredibly horny seeing as my oh so perfect fiancée keeps fighting me off because she's scared of hurting me. So you have a choice, give up now or force me to push you up against the wall and ravish you. Either way I'm going to have you, that was on top of my Christmas wish list and I mean to have it."

Einhart groaned at the words and felt her self control snap like a twig. She needed Vivio like air and the past few weeks had been torture. Spinning around suddenly she lifted Vivio into the shower with her and pressed the blonde against the wall as she proceeded to kiss her breathless. Pulling back she took a huge breath and then bent her head to suck hard on the porcelain neck leaving a red mark right under her lover's ear. She licked the sore spot drawing a gasp before she raked her teeth down Vivio's delicate shoulder before peppering it with kisses. Their hands roamed up and down each other's sides with an occasional grope when a particularly sensitive spot was found. Dropping lower the green haired girl found full breasts begging for attention. Pressing the two delicious orbs together she was able to suckle both points at once making her lover weak kneed. Releasing her hold she move down further and gently parted Vivio's legs and placed the girl's hands on her shoulders to help support her.

Finding the puckered flesh of the bullet wound she kissed the healing scar. Her hot tongue lathed the scar and Einhart spoke, "I love you, I love you so much. Don't ever leave me. I need you."

Vivio's hands squeezed Einhart's shouldered gently before reaching down to lift her head. With love in her eyes she replied, "I'm not going anywhere love. I love you too much. I wouldn't survive a day without you by my side."

Einhart stood up and kissed her with all her passion leaving Vivio dazed and grinning. Nuzzling her ear as she pressed into her lover as she let her hand drop and began to circle Vivio's needy sex. The wetness had nothing to do with the shower spray and Einhart couldn't help the wicked smile that came to her in knowing only she could make Vivio this hot. Slipping one finger into her dripping flower Einhart began to slowly work her lover up with slow yet deep strokes. As Vivio began to edge closer to oblivion Einhart allowed her thumb to circle the blonde's engorged clit. The bucking and desperate noises of need drove the darker of the pair to push harder. Pressing down on the swollen button as she thrust deeply into her lover she pushed her over the edge. The warm spurt of fluid telling her how very satisfied she had made her lover. Gently dislodging her finger she brought her hand to her lips and drank down Vivio's essence.

Vivio opened her hazy eyes to this sight and felt her lust flare back up, she needed to taste her lover, needed to hear her cry out.

"Einhart, I need you, I want to touch you so bad it hurts."

The dark eyed girl froze, she wanted Vivio's hands on her body but was she strong enough to do this in the shower? Closing the distance between them she kissed the blonde and then said gently, "Let's clean up first then we can go to bed, it'll be easier on you that way. I don't want you to strain yourself."

Vivio wanted to argue but also knew she wasn't quite up to her full physical strength yet so complied. Well, she decided she wouldn't try for the jackpot but she sure wasn't going to restrain her wandering hands from grasping whatever was in reach.

As Vivio ran the loofah over Einhart's body she made sure tease and arouse her lover to the best of her ability. By the time they had finished washing their hair Einhart was barely able to breathe normally she was so worked up. Pulling a towel around them Einhart practically carried her lover to bed, only Vivio's bare toes scraped the ground as Einhart carried her press tightly to her front and kissing her passionately. Once to the bed Einhart lowered her down like she was made of spun glass and trying with little success to keep control.

Ein allowed herself to hover over the blonde by resting on her elbows and knees, fearful of hurting her lover but desperate to continue. Vivio pulled Einhart down to her by wrapping her legs tightly around her and pressing their pelvises together wantonly. Breaking their kiss Vivio made her demands known, "Ein, I want you, get up here where I can taste you!"

Einhart at first didn't understand what her lover meant but when Vivio's hands gripped her hips and began to pull her northward she understood and blushed.

"Vi, you can't be serious, I can't sit on you!"

Emerald and ruby flashed with frustration and Vivio's hands suddenly moved, one to grasp her lover by her tight buttocks and the other dove to find her lover's weeping honey-pot. Teasing the engorged flesh caused the woman above her to arch into her. Then she pulled away to the total dissatisfaction of her love, the moaned, "Why?" was pitiful.

In as imperious voice as she could muster Vivio said, "Either you get up here or I swear I'll leave you to suffer, I want to taste you, Now!"

Einhart with shaking limbs gave up and moved into place, she was so far gone Vivio could have asked her to put on leather and bunny ears and she'd have complied if only the blonde would slake her need. Positioning herself over the blonde she was still slightly hesitant, what if she crushed her? Suffocated her? Then Vivio's hands grabbed her hips and maneuvered where she was wanted and it was all Einhart could do not to scream and wake the house. Holding on to the headboard as the blonde beneath her pillaged her.

Vivio was in heaven; her lover surrounded her, her taste and scent making her drunk with lust. She licked, sucked and nibbled at the tasty treat before her. The sounds of pleasure muffled by hands reached her and the way Einhart was now nearly riding her face, pressing herself into her tongue was all the indication she needed that she was doing this right. Allowing one hand to sneak between them she worked one then two fingers into her lover as she redirected her mouth's attention to Einhart's hard nub.

After many delicious minutes Vivio finally pulled back for a moment she said, breathlessly, "Come for me Ein, I want you to fall to pieces in my mouth."

Einhart felt the hot words on her aching clit as she continued to work herself on Vivio's hand and groaned, "Love, I'm…I'm almost there. Just ah…"

Vivio hearing her moved her mouth back and sucked hard and pushed a third finger into her lover, the girl gasped and arched coming hard. Einhart limply grasped at the headboard to keep from collapsing on her lover but she no longer had the strength to sit up. Vivio gently removed her hand and pulled the wrecked girl down to cuddle into her. As Einhart tried to catch her breath and calm her thundering heart Vivio cleaned her hand of her delicious nectar.

The sight made Einhart groan, "Love you have no idea how hot you look when you do that, if you did you wouldn't do it out of fear of driving me mad."

The blonde lazily flicked her tongue up her palm and then smiled a Cheshire Cat smile, "Love, I know exactly how much you like seeing me do this, that's why I do it, that and you taste delicious. I wouldn't waste a drop of you."

Einhart kissed her hard at this and then pulled the blonde tightly to her, "You will be the death of me. I love you."

Vivio held her back just as tightly, "No love, I plan on being your reason to live. I want us to have a very long and happy life together."

~"~"~"~"~


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: This is the end, all things must come to an end and I feel I have found a satisfying end for myself. I like this little world I have made and will be going back to re-edit Check the Gate to better sync the stories. I had a vague idea of this story while writing that but as I have noted at the start of my later chapters this story was hijacked by NanoFate when it should have been more predominately EinVi. I want to thank everyone who Followed, Favorited and Reviewed, all the support has kept me writing when I was rather depressed due to my fluctuating health. When I first started writing my stories I was dealing with a lot medical issues which have mostly been resolved but I still can have issues if I push myself physically too hard and sadly I am a stubborn person who likes to bite off more than I can chew at times.

I am now off to revise my one-shots and hopefully come back with something new for everyone soon, TTFN!

Disclaimer: I don't own MGLN or any of its characters, I write for fun, not monetary gain.

~"~"~"~"~

Epilogue

Takamachi-Testarossa Residence, Bel Air, CA

June XX, 20XX

Nanoha laid in her king sized bed reading though her mind was slightly distracted by the fact that her wife was not laying beside her. The blonde was currently dealing with their younger daughters who seemed bound and determined to drive each other crazy. Despite being offered separate rooms the girls had chosen to share and then proceeded to annoy each other to the best of their ability. Each had their own _rational_ reasons for wanting to share a room, which in the end boiled down to them both being lonely for their elder sisters who were now on their honeymoon.

The family had decided collectively to stay in the US until the wedding then return to Japan as a group, though Vivio had to return to Japan for a few months to conclude her contractual obligations and Einhart found herself suddenly hip deep in work on her project with her cousin Caro and Erio once again. When Einhart and Vivio returned from wherever they had decided to spend their secret honeymoon the family would decamp. But it wouldn't be a permanent exodus, after creating or rebuilding so many relationships the family decided to keep the Bel Air home and spend a portion of all their future summers there.

Fingering the book's cover Nanoha tried not to get impatient; she needed Fate beside her if she was going to have any chance at falling asleep. The growing twins in her womb were currently kicking and wriggling like mad, as they did every night until her wife massaged her stomach and sang to the two little spoilt princesses in the making. Four months pregnant and she was already feeling overwhelmed by the two little invaders. Precia had delivered on her promise to help them conceive identical twins, a dream come true for both mothers-to-be.

When the door opened she looked up instantly and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Fate looked at her lounging wife and felt her heart flutter, the thin cotton sleep shirt she was wearing hung loose on her frame. The soft outline of full breasts and the swell of Nanoha's burgeoning belly was _the_ most attractive sight Fate had ever seen.

Licking her lips Fate stared deeply into her wife's eyes and said, "Perfect."

Nanoha flushed at the double entendre making Fate smile. The blonde went to their dresser and opened a drawer to get the massaging oil allowing her wife a moment to collect herself. Pregnancy hormones had the auburn haired woman horny twenty-four seven and Fate was in hog heaven getting to spoil her wife but knew she had to pace them so Nanoha got sufficient rest. When the foot of the bed dipped Nanoha opened her eyes to look at her wife questioningly. Fate smiling took up her wife's right foot and began massaging the slightly swollen extremity. Working her way up Fate massaged ankle, calf and thigh of one leg then started on the other. By the time she was done Nanoha had practically melted into goo.

Getting up from the foot of the bed Fate then made her way to her wife's side and gently lifted her forward before sliding behind her and resting her precious bundle between her legs. Fate then pulled off her wife's sleep shirt and set it aside before scooping up her long hair and tying it back in a loose knot. Her gentle yet strong hands then began massaging her wife's stomach as she sang a sweet lullaby and the twins settled altogether under her loving touch allowing their mother to further relax. Fate then took up her wife's left hand and began massaging it finger by finger and working her way up. After both arms were completed Fate started on Nanoha's neck and worked her way down her back, working out all the knots. After finishing she placed a sweet kiss on the back of her wife's neck and made to reach for her sleep shirt to help her back into it.

Nanoha truthfully really didn't want to put on the garment but had rather snuggle into her wife for all necessary warmth. Being as uncooperative as possible and snuggling back finally garnered her a sigh from her wife.

"Nano-love, you need to let me dress you. I have a hard enough time not touching you where I really want to when you are wearing it but to lay here naked will demolish all my self-control."

Humming and turning her head to rub her cheek on Fate's shoulder she asked cheekily, "And where would my wonderful wife want to touch? Depending on where it is I just might want to encourage her."

The blonde groaned making the pregnant woman laugh. Fate decided at that point Nanoha had earned the teasing she was going to give her. Letting her hands snake up Fate cupped her wife's breasts and let her thumbs brush over the sensitive peaks. Gently she tweaked the darkening nipples making Nanoha squirm in her lap. Pressing opened mouth kisses on her wife's exposed neck and shoulder before finding her wife's favorite spot and gently nipped and sucked.

Nanoha was ready to flip in Fate's lap and begin grinding on her wife but her pregnancy made her clumsy and awkward. So instead she pulled one of the tormenting hands from her breasts and tried to push it towards her now soaking center. But her growing belly was now beginning to get in the way and made the angle almost impossible. The growl of impatience and frustration almost made Fate laugh but she knew from Nanoha's first pregnancy to never laugh at the horny pregnant woman. Instead she helped her wife get into a more receptive position and began the enjoyable process of making her wife fall to pieces.

Settling her wife back against her Fate pulled the blankets up over them before wrapping her arms carefully around her lover with one hand resting lightly on her precious tummy. Fate kissed Nanoha's temple and whispered to the now exhausted woman, "I love you Nanoha. Sleep well love."

Nanoha smiled sleepily and hummed, "Love you Fate-chan."

~"~"~"~"

It was the last day of their honeymoon and already Vivio was sighing as she looked over the veranda, she really didn't want to leave their little mountain retreat and return to the spotlight. Despite having completed all projects they still had the promotions for those projects to deal with into the next year and neither was looking forward to the times they would have to be separated. During their three month separation both had taken time to see mental health care specialists as they knew recent events had changed the dynamics of their relationship and not in all good ways. Both had left therapy much happier but still felt the anguish of not having the other by their side.

Einhart's desperate need to have Vivio alone was only matched by the blonde's willingness to succumb to all her demands. It was frightening to both of them when they realized how addicted to each other they had become, but in a small way it also relieved their hearts and minds to know the other was just as struck as the other. Their two week honeymoon had been made up of long walks along the trails with leisurely picnics and swimming in the small private lake on the property which often included love making in the fresh mountain air followed by cuddling together in the cabin where they talked of their future and of course more love making as they couldn't get enough of each other.

Einhart heard the sigh and made her way to the blonde and wrapped her lovingly in her arms, nuzzling her nose into her lover's neck she asked, "What's wrong love?"

Leaning into the loving warmth Vivio sighed again but from contentment this time instead of melancholy. Tilting her head to allow Einhart greater access to her neck as she was now pressing kisses along its length she said breathlessly, "I don't want to leave here. I don't want to deal with the media or people gawking at us. I want to be stupidly selfish and hide away with you here until the end of time."

Einhart stopped lavishing kisses on her wife's neck and sighed, "I'd really like that too love. But we have obligations and eventually we would miss our family and friends. Its best if we just get this next year over with and try to find a way to balance school and married life. I for one would like to avoid some of the hardships our moms went through trying to find their balance. I think if we just keep in mind our goals and talk about our needs we'll be alright. But god knows I am going to miss you when we have to go on promotion tours."

Vivio twisted around to face _her_ wife, the thrill of the thought made her smile every time it crossed her mind. She let her hand trace the delicate bone structure of her lover's face, the high cheek bones, the long lean jaw line, the smoothness of her forehead and the gentle slope of her nose, the living embodiment of beauty. Then she cupped the back of Einhart's head and pulled her slightly down for a long and satisfying kiss. Breaking it she whispered reverently, "I love you."

The squeezing tight hug shared spoke volumes to each. They were on the cusp of their new life together and despite all the uncertainty and likely challenges they would have to face there was one thing they could now count on, their love for one another. Both had learned from the best example set before them, when Nanoha and Fate had ever so briefly forgotten to put their love foremost was the only time they had stumbled as a pair. Pride and self-pity would have no place in their lives if they could help it. Walking back into the cabin they settled onto comfortable leather couch to snuggle for a short time before taking their last calming walk of the grounds.

~"~"~"~"~

Nanoha looked down at her ever expanding stomach and thought again about the tiny miracles within, she was carrying _her _Fate-chan's babies. Babies that her dastardly wife had tried to beg, barter, and plead with her mother to ensure would look like their beautiful auburn haired mama (her exact words). Nanoha had shaken her head discretely to this idea and Precia Testarossa knew better than to go against her daughter-in-law in anything. Fate had eventually gotten her mother to at least agree to no more blonde babies, Fate loved Sora and Vivio's blonde hair but twin blonde girls would be like asking for history to repeat itself, no thanks!

Little did Fate know but Nanoha had later begged, bartered and pleaded with her mother-in-law for the twins to bea more perfect blending of their genetic backgrounds. When told blonde was off the table due to Fate's strong and understandable objections Nanoha had pouted a bit but accepted without a word of complaint. She then thought of the dominate hair colors in their gene pool. After Precia was able to secure two different viable options she came to Nanoha with her options. One of the results was so distinctive that Nanoha immediately fell in love with her potential children-to-be and had the zygotes implanted.

Now as she pressed her hand to her eight and a half month pregnant stomach she wondered if she really was carrying little demons. The girls were constantly shifting and kicking making her uncomfortable and playing havoc with her bladder when one or the other pressed down on it with maniacal kicking feet. She shifted again on the couch where she once again felt like a beached whale, how had she forgotten how insanely uncomfortable pregnancy could be? This time around seemed doubly worse thanks to the double load and her own advancing years. When Fate came into the room with a plate and glass she couldn't help but smile gratefully at her. Fate had spoiled her rotten the first time around but this time she seemed to be pulling out all the stops and for that she would be eternally grateful even if her hormones could make her crazy.

Fate carefully handed Nanoha her plate, _not_ setting it on her tummy and setting her wife off on a tirade even if that was where _she_ was going to set it herself. Sitting down on the edge of the couch at her wife's feet she carefully lifted them from their elevated position on cushions to settle them on her lap for a gentle massage. Nanoha happily munched on her sandwich and dill pickle humming contentedly for the moment. The babies seemed to sense when Fate was around and normally settled for only occasionally twitching as if they were trying to hear what their blonde mama was saying.

After finishing her snack and washing it down with the glass of milk Fate took the dishes away before returning to rub lotion onto her wife's stomach. She had taken to doing this three times a day now; morning, noon and night. The gentle caress and soft crooning made the twins settle down to the industrious job of further development in their mother's womb. Yawning Nanoha snuggled down further into the couch, no longer caring if it was going to be a complete hassle getting back up, she wanted a nap and Fate was there to hoist her gently back to her feet when the time came.

Two hours later a sharp pain in her lower back awoke her and her eyes flew open, the thought, 'Oh Shit its time!' flew through her mind as she franticly scanned the room for her wife. Not seeing the blonde culprit who helped put her in this position she called out, "Fate-chan!"

The quick steps of her wife calmed her but a fresh stab of pain made that a brief moment. Once the blonde was in sight she said, "Its time, help me up, we need to get to the hospital."

Fate's eyes widened and her stride lengthened, carefully she pulled her wife up from the couch and Nanoha doubled over with a cry as she felt her water break. It seemed the twins had decided now was the time and weren't going to long in their arrival. Fate carefully maneuvered Nanoha to the car, not caring a wit about the mess and carefully but with great speed drove her wife to the hospital.

Two hours later and five broken bones to Fate's left hand (a sacrifice in the name of love) the twins were born and their dark looks made the doctors and nursing staff coo over them. Jet black hair inherited from their Takamachi grandfather and deep plum colored eyes from their Testarossa grandmother made the twins a striking pair. Nanoha looked over the twins and couldn't help laughing a little, the girls looked like their Fate-mama had all those years ago when she first fell in love with her. The demonic role Fate had taken on had been the first step towards them coming together even before they had even met. Fate stared at the pair and was mesmerized, neither Nanoha nor Precia had mentioned what the twins would look like to her; it was to be a surprise. Reaching over to gently stroke the black downy hair of their elder twin daughter and she felt an overwhelming surge of love flood her.

Tears in her eyes she said, "They are so beautiful, thank you Nanoha."

Guiltily Nanoha reached for Fate's bandaged hand and brought it to her mouth for a soft kiss.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Fate-chan, I really didn't mean to but these little monsters gave me such a hard time."

Fate smiled at her wife, "Nano-love, you know I would do anything, suffer anything for you. I think a broken hand is barely a drop in the bucket compared to what you've given to me."

Leaning in she pressed a soft kiss to her wife's lips, cheek and forehead, "I love you so much Nanoha."

The happy moment was disrupted by the soft cough of their elder children. Vivio and Einhart having been called earlier to be told Nanoha had gone into labor had left class and caught the first train back to Uminari from their university town. The young couple now made their way to Nanoha's bed and their newest family members.

Einhart was surprised at how tiny they were, smaller than Sora or Fia had been at birth but that should have been expected as they were a few weeks early and of course twins. Carefully Vivio took one of her new baby sisters in her arms and cooed at her. Einhart felt a rush of heat fill her as she suddenly thought about the day when _they_ had children of _their_ own. Vivio looked up at her wife and saw the small blush and wondered at it.

The young oblivious blonde then asked her mama, "So have you finally decided on names yet or shall we be forced to call them Thing One and Thing Two for the time being?"

Nanoha snorted, "We will likely be calling them that anyway, and I can bet you now they are going to give Fia a run for her money."

Smiling Fate pointed to the baby in Vivio's arms, "That little angel is Ume and this one is Emi."

Then turning her smiling face to her wife she went on, "I think Fia and Sora are going to be very happy with their new baby sisters. They'll finally have someone else to blame for all the trouble they get into."

Nanoha gave her wife a dry look but couldn't hold it, giggling she asked, "How soon will it be before Precia will be able to bring the girls to the hospital?"

Fate looked at her watch then said, "School lets out in an hour or so, we had decided before to spare them the agony of having to wait through your labor so I'd say she's picking them up now. I spoke to her while they were cleaning up the twins. She just needed to hand off her work to an assistant then she'd head over to the school."

Vivio looked at the other twin in her mother's arms and was amazed again at how adorable the tiny bundles were and without thinking she said, "Oh I can't wait to have one of my own, they are so cute."

At this declaration Einhart fainted, leaving their mothers to laugh and Vivio to scamper over to her after handing off her sister to her mom to check on her now comatose wife.

~"~"~"~"~

Five years later

Einhart really wasn't sure how she had found herself in this position but the mind numbing pain of labor did make it difficult to think straight. As her blonde wife hovered nearby holding her hand and wiping her brow she couldn't help thinking the evil little blonde had tricked her somehow. Vivio had spoken of children since the birth of their younger sisters and had always made it seem like she'd be the one to carry if not all at least the first of their children. But here she was splayed open trying to push a watermelon out of a hole the size of a lemon, there would be words and mighty consequences later.

When the evil offspring of her equally evil succubus of a wife was finally delivered she looked down at the tiny bundle and saw she had (as promised) blonde hair. Looking closer at the tiny being she saw the baby had the most peculiar eyes. They were a strange hazel color, an amalgam of burgundy, green, blue and hints of gold. Where on earth Precia Testarossa had found this particular genetic trait or found the genes to somehow splice it would be a mystery. Vivio trembling with excitement crept closer to her wife and leaned over to see the product of their love.

Einhart looked at the blonde and carefully handed the baby to her wife. Vivio cuddled the little bundle to her and looked down in amazement.

Whispering she said, "She's perfect. Oh god Ein, you are amazing."

Einhart snorted and finally understood her mother-in-law's sentiments on conniving blondes, "Oh I know, but don't think I am doing this again. Next one is on you. How you suckered me into this in the first place I'll never know."

Vivio looked at her wife sheepishly, "But love, we both agreed it was time for a baby, it's not my fault work made it impossible for me to be the one to carry her."

'_Yes work, how very convenient an excuse,'_ Einhart thought darkly. Despite them both leaving the entertainment industry after their marriage the occasional offer came to them both which cried out to them. Mostly working as voice talents or small supporting roles the pair had tried to keep their faces off the big or small screen as much as possible. But last year the lead role in the sequel to Lost Logia had come Vivio's way. As the daughter of the original star it was thought the role should go to her first. She had the acting ability, the fighting skills, and most importantly to the studio executives the looks to carry this pivotal role.

The part had reignited people's interest in the Takamachi-Testarossa-Harlaown couple in a big way. It got to be she could have thrown a rock out their window and hit a damn photographer trying to catch a glimpse of the now pregnant Einhart with her media sensation blonde wife. Both had decided it was time to move after the first unapproved photos of their home life leaked into an entertainment gossip rag. Vivio though had made it clear this was a once in a lifetime thing, she would not be stepping back into the spotlight, she was an attorney now for god's sake.

Humming to herself Einhart settled back in her bed and watched as her wife and child began to bond. It was an endearing sight which melted her heart and really it hadn't been _all_ that bad. Well worth the utter enjoy radiating from her wife. God knew she'd do anything to see the blonde smile and that smile on her face was so bright it was likely it could be seen from space. When the baby began making sucking sounds Vivio handed her back to Einhart for her first meal.

When their mothers arrived in mass with their younger siblings the room became a madhouse as everyone wanted to hold the tiny bundle. Fia now nearly of age and a near deity to her follow classmates thanks to her good looks, high intelligence and wicked athletic abilities held her tiny niece and declared, "She is so cute, better than the horrible monsters mama keeps bring home. If I could only find someone as cool as Ein-chan or sweet as Vi-chan I'd like to have one too."

Fate groaned, "Fia, really? I don't know, I just don't know what to do with you child. I blame myself for leaving you with Hayate so often."

Sora who was nearly as popular as her elder sister without the prima donna attitude spoke up, "I'd say have grandma Precia double check her gene scan first, I swear there was mix up in the lab."

Fia stuck her perfect pink tongue at her sister, even her occasional childishness made her look cute; it was a crime against humanity at how easily the girl could wrap people around her pinky. The twins looked up at their elder sisters and matching plum colored eyes rolled in sync.

Ume made her way over to her big sister in bed and crawled up onto it on one side while Emi did the same on the other, not before long Einhart found herself being cuddled with by the twins. She smiled at the dark haired girls and hugged them in tight. They could be a handful at times but it was always with the best intentions, much like Vivio had been as a small child.

Nanoha looking down at her first (gasp!) grandchild asked teasingly, "Well, what is my beautiful granddaughter's name? Or should we just call her Thing Three?"

Vivio laughed a bit at this then looking at her wife she sobered. It had been a hard decision and one they weren't sure was correct but in the end it felt right.

Einhart reached out for the child and held her close for a moment trying to collect her nerves, then looked up into her mom's eyes she said, "Fate Alicia Takamachi-Testarossa-Harlaown."

Vivio piped up to break the almost deafening silence, "We'll be calling her Cia for short."

Fate blinked then laughed, "Oh god that's perfect! Your mother hated that name. She smacked the hell out of Clyde and Chrono every time they tried to call her that when we were kids."

Einhart shook her head, "I never knew that."

Fate smiled, "Yeah, ask Chrono-kun all about it next time you see him, fufufu I bet he still feels the bruises she left on him."

Vivio looked at her mama, "You're not upset with our choice are you?"

Nanoha looked into worried heterochromatic eyes and smiled, "I think it's a perfect name. But the next one has to have at least one name from my side of the family."

Einhart paled, 'N_ext one?! What the hell mama do you think I'm a baby factory?!'_

Vivio gulped, "Of course Cia will need a little sister in a couple of years; in the meantime we'll keep that in mind when thinking about future names."

**The End**


End file.
